Vindicated Vol 1
by PiscesGrl26
Summary: The sequel to Complicated, this story picks up a year afterwards with Tarble deep in depression and Pan a changed woman. Caulifla and Cabba return from Sadala with a baby of their own. Trunks begins to struggle and reveals a secret to Marron that will change everything they've ever known.
1. Chapter 1

One year passed by like a flash after baby Lace was rescued from the grasps of mad scientist, Hitake. Normal life resumed, making Earth a calm and peaceful place again. February was fast approaching and Goten was out and about trying to figure out what to get Bra for Valentine's Day. Their wedding was in a few weeks, on the fourteenth itself, but he wanted to get her something before the big event for the actual holiday itself. After all, she had been working hard at her new Capsule Corp job. She fit right in alongside her brother and Goten as an administrative assistant. Goten was partially convinced that Trunks wanted her to become a co-president to take some of the stress off of his own plate, but Bra had her doubts about that idea. She enjoyed being able to come in, do her job and leave everything at work when the clock struck five. Goten had trained her to do everything that he used to attend to and was promoted to an executive position. The Brief family, however dysfunctional at times, definitely had its perks. He figured that rewarding her for all of this hard work was the least he could do to thank her for agreeing to marry his crazy ass. He looked around at the shops lining the strip of businesses before him.

"What should I get for mommy, huh?"

Goten prompted the little girl with royal blue hair in front of him. She sat strapped into her stroller with a purple, fluffy dress scrunched up around her. She giggled and squeaked at him happily, which made Goten smile like an idiot. He loved watching her happy face light up. She seemed to enjoy shopping as much as her mother.

He stopped in front of a window at a shop that looked pretty expensive. He saw a pair of red heels that would go particularly well with the lingerie he already bought a few days before. He wondered if she'd actually wear them for him but quickly realized who he was thinking about. His wife-to-be was certainly not afraid to go all out in the bedroom. He knelt down next to the stroller to try and get a glimpse of the price tag, but Lace took off her shoe and threw it at his head.

"Hey! That's not nice!" He laughed, picking up her shoe and tickling her before returning it to her tiny foot.

"Goten?"

He heard a woman's voice behind him and stood up. Caulifla was standing in front of him with Cabba, who was carrying a multitude of shopping bags and boxes. She was also pushing a stroller. A little boy was sleeping soundly inside.

"W-When did you guys get back? It's so good to see you!" Goten gasped, standing up and towering over them both. 

"We've been around…sorta. Long story. What are you up to?" Caulifla asked.

Cabba rolled his eyes and snickered.

"Clearly he's doing what you wish that I would do…"

Caulifla crossed her arms and huffed angrily.

"What's wrong with buying nice things for your woman _without_ being asked?"

Cabba laughed and set down the bags that he was carrying. Caulifla approached Goten and peeked into the window at whatever he'd been looking at. Her eyes grew large. She pressed her face up against the glass like a child and stared in awe.

"Are you buying something here for Bra? _Nice_…" Caulifla gasped.

"Yeah, I think I am…actually, could I run in real quick while you guys are here? Lace likes to grab things off of shelves and this place looks a little too nice for her to accidentally break something."

Goten gave his daughter a look and received a large smile in return.

"Sure!" Cabba exclaimed happily, leaning down to the little girl's level.

Goten placed a hand on top of her head proudly.

"This is Lace…Lace, can you say hello?"

Lace looked up at Cabba and waved backwards. Cabba was overcome with what appeared to be cuteness overload and started to make silly faces at her. Caulifla painfully tore herself away from the window and snuck into the store with Goten while Cabba was distracted.

"What are you doing?" Goten asked playfully.

"Shut up, idiot! I'm just…looking!" Caulifla growled, peering over her shoulder.

The shoes Goten had been looking at sat perfectly atop a display with their price tag facing downwards. He carefully flipped it over and cringed. The price was insanely high, but he was very financially secure at the moment. With both of them working such well-paying jobs, he wondered why he still cared what price tags even said anymore. He'd grown up watching Trunks buy whatever without even looking, so why did he still feel the need to look?

He took the shoes to the register and handed over his black credit card. Caulifla was still wandering around with her mouth hanging open. When he was finished paying, he made sure to grab her by the arm and drag her out before she broke the bank on something. He assumed the future Cabba planned out in health care wasn't exactly on track with him disappearing to Sadala for a year.

Back outside on the sidewalk, Cabba was now holding Lace and bouncing her up and down. She laughed and grabbed his hair into her fist before poking him in the eye.

"Da da!" Lace squealed as soon as she saw him.

She hopped from Cabba's arms and flew to her father's shoulders. He panicked briefly and looked around. Thank goodness no one saw that, but Cabba and Caulifla seemed unbothered. He wondered if that was fairly normal on a planet full of saiyans.

"So…what exactly brought you guys back, huh? God…it's been over a year since I've seen you! I can't believe I haven't gotten to meet this little guy yet…"

Cabba shrugged with a smile and laughed.

"This is Kole by the way. We've been trying some new medications so he sleeps almost all day…can't say the same for nighttime though. We don't really get much sleep anymore."

Before Goten could ask anything, Caulifla pulled out her phone and groaned, interrupting them.

"Hey, Bulma. _Oh?_ So there's food? Alright, see ya soon."

Goten and Cabba looked at her with puzzled expressions. Lace leaned forward and grabbed Goten's black beanie off of his spikey hair and cuddled it. He held onto her hands so she wouldn't throw it and asked, "What's my mother-in-law-to-be got planned now?"

"She wants us to come over for dinner. I guess there's some good news about something. It's nice that we live so close now…I still can't believe we convinced Goku and Chichi to move to the city. They're adjusting…okay. It works out, though. Chichi is so good with Kole…"

Despite what Caulifla may think, Goten knew that the only reason Chichi finally agreed to move was because of Gohan. Gohan received tenure at the University, so he spent more time there and got more involved with activities on campus. He even coached the mixed martial arts team. Videl made the move to Capsule Corp and worked as an executive. Goten didn't see her very often, but when he did, she was usually barking orders like a pro. At those times, she reminded Goten of her teenaged self. Poor Gohan, he thought.

Chichi was annoyed that Gohan wasn't visiting her anymore and gave in to his offer of a new home. It was good news for Goten because she was possibly the world's best babysitter in the world, taking care of Lace on a regular basis. She was getting older, slowing down a bit, but that didn't stop her from getting on the floor and playing with her newest grandchild.

Goku had gotten a job at a local martial arts academy as a teacher thanks to Videl's father, Hercule. He was finally making some money, but struggled adhering to such a strict schedule. Luckily his pupils knew very well that getting lessons with Goku was worth waiting for him when he was late. He was getting quite popular in the young fighter crowd.

"Well, apparently nobody tells me anything anymore. I had no idea that mom was watching your boy…she never mentioned it at all. Weird. Anyway, I'm not sure what the big news could be, but I'll head home and get Bra. She wanted to stay home today and get some stuff done. Saturdays are always errand and cleaning days at our household…"

"That's why you're out shopping? So you don't have to clean?" Cabba asked jokingly.

Goten laughed and shrugged off his question. Clearly it was completely true. They waved good-bye and parted ways for the time being. Goten placed Lace back into her stroller and took a moment to marvel as her cerulean-blue eyes caught the sunlight and the pink rings shined brightly around both of her pupils. Her eyes were always the first thing anyone noticed when they came up to them, but Goten had played it off well as a genetic mutation similar to heterochromia. He always prayed that she wouldn't get angry in public, though. Any time she decided to become angry, it was almost impossible to control her without her mother. The power that would radiate from her tiny body was inconceivable, but luckily for him, most of the time she never got angry. Goten liked to think of it as some kind of super-self-control. She was the happiest baby anyone could ever meet.

He threw one of his capsules to the street and his favorite sports car appeared. Though he preferred his motorcycle, there was nowhere for the baby on his bike. He opened the door and secured Lace into her car seat and returned her stroller to its capsule. Lace laughed and clapped at the pouf of smoke.

Goten and Bra's new home was in the same building as Trunks' home. He lived in the penthouse on the top floor with Marron of all people, while Goten and Bra lived in the very comparable penthouse just below.

Bringing Marron back into their lives was beyond difficult. She'd apologized so many times that Goten had lost count, but he'd finally forgiven her eventually. He often pictured himself in her place and wondered what he would have done if his own mother and father's lives were threatened. He'd do anything for family, which scared him a little. He recalled his rage when Bra looked to be dead and his baby was gone and shivered. He definitely couldn't hold what Marron was forced to do against her. If saving his wife and child meant hurting someone else, he wasn't sure he could say no, either.

Bra on the other hand was not so forgiving. She tolerated Marron, for her brother's sake, but still hated her deeply. With each flip of Marron's blonde hair, Bra would scoff and roll her eyes. Goten couldn't really blame her considering what Marron put Bra through. Despite Marron's best efforts, Bra refused to speak directly to her. Apologies weren't enough for the new mother of a very special baby.

Goten pulled up to the front of the building and returned the fancy sports car to its capsule. He carried his daughter inside and up the elevator carefully. Lace had fallen asleep during the car ride, making Goten cringe each time the elevator dinged on a new floor. He hoped that she'd take this time for a nice, full nap. Lace didn't sleep very often or for long periods of time, so when she did drift off, they tried very hard not to wake her.

When he reached his floor, he stepped into his home and saw Bra sleeping on the couch. She had paperwork scattered around her and a coffee mug sitting on the floor below where she slept. He figured that she'd mistaken the decaf for regular coffee again. He approached her slowly and laid Lace down on top of her gently. She snuggled up to her mother and Bra wrapped her arms around her. He stood there for a moment watching his little family and felt joy welling up from his heart. Lace was perfection to him, no matter what that monster of a scientist did to her. Laying there with her mother, she was an angel.

He decided to continue doing the household chores that she'd not gotten to while they slept. He figured it might earn him some bonus points for later, if he was lucky. She'd been especially grumpy lately.

That night, Goten and Bra arrived at Bulma's house dressed to kill. He wore his favorite suit with Bra's favorite green tie. Bra was wearing a yellow dress that hugged her in all the right places. Her long necklace dangled down her chest and bounced around as she walked. Goten couldn't help from getting just a little excited when he watched her. The click of her yellow heels was enough to send shivers down his back.

Bulma greeted them all with hugs at the door, but quickly stole Lace away and twirled her around. Lace laughed and wrapped her little arms around her grandmother's neck. Vegeta stood behind Bulma with a ridiculous grin on his face until she handed Lace over to him. It was as though a different person had possessed Vegeta's soul when that baby met his hands. He cooed and baby-talked with her to no end. Bra sometimes found herself a little jealous of her father's affections towards Lace, but she always reminded herself to be grateful. It wasn't every day that Vegeta attached to anyone, let alone a baby.

Vegeta's brother Tarble, now aged around seventeen in human years, sat at the long, decorated dinner table with his new girlfriend from school. He'd decided to start attending school as a way to integrate into Earth's society recently. His intelligence was incomparable to the average student, but he continued to study and work hard at the social aspects. He even joined the soccer club and regularly dominated at games. He'd also accumulated enough credits to graduate early with honors and attend any university he'd like, but he preferred the simple life and just kept pretending that he was normal.

Aside from his new life, everyone knew that he was trying to move on from heartbreak. He'd confessed early on to the family that he loved Pan, but Pan leaving for her trip around the world broke something inside of him. No one knew that he overheard Pan and Trunks in the hospital, not even Trunks himself.

Trunks and Marron sat across from Tarble at the table, chatting with the new girlfriend. Trunks was drinking some wine and laughing loudly, causing Marron to shush him every couple of minutes. He enjoyed tormenting Tarble, but Tarble was getting visibly annoyed with him. He continuously shot Marron annoyed looks with each shush and rolled his eyes at her frequently.

Though Trunks had grown to love Marron very deeply, he felt unsatisfied with the way he'd left things with Pan. In a way he was glad that she was gone. He regretted the night he'd kissed her in the hospital and wanted to smooth things over, but she was gone before he could. Forgetting was really his only option.

Besides, the pain medicine clouded his judgement that night, not actual feelings. He loved Marron. He always loved Marron.

Unfortunately, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows when he decided to forgive her for everything she'd done. She'd been so traumatized by the deadly events that he had to watch her closely. She'd developed frequent night terrors and an issue with sleepwalking. It wasn't easy taking care of her when he felt quite uneasy himself.

The Son crew arrived shortly afterwards to join the festivities. Goku immediately chased Vegeta around the house for a chance to hold Lace, but Vegeta took off and refused. They all laughed as the two grandfathers argued back and forth. Their once deadly rivalry had turned to a strange but close friendship thanks to a little girl. Now that the two most powerful warriors in the universe were joined by blood, life was so much more joyful.

"Who is this little munchkin?" Bra squealed.

A little boy just a few months older than Lace came trailing in behind Caulifla. He was holding on to her leg and sucking his thumb. The whole table seemed shocked when Cabba and Caulifla waved hello, but again they dodged all the questions about their return from Sadala. Instead they chose to focus on their son, Kole.

"Kole, can you say hello?" Cabba asked gently.

Kole peered up at Bra with his onyx-black eyes and frowned, shaking his head and hiding.

"Sorry…he's really shy." Cabba laughed.

"Aw, he's precious! It's okay!" Bra cooed.

When they finally all sat down at the dinner table, Trunks stood up nervously and tapped a fork on his wine glass. The family frowned and looked at his untouched chop sticks on the table, but he'd grown so accustomed to silverware in America that he'd pretty much abandoned the sticks altogether. He shrugged off the strange stares and began to thank them for coming. He loosened his tie and swallowed.

"A year ago…our family experienced one of the worst fights we've ever had to face. I think given our history it's easy to forget how dangerous this world can be. We've seen death, pain…suffering…in the end, we always come out closer and stronger."

The family looked around at each other. A few of them looked at Marron with quick glances, aside from Bra who stared angrily. Tarble's girlfriend looked completely confused, but listened politely regardless.

"I think it's time that we all moved forward with our lives. For example, Goten will marry my sister in four very short weeks. I can't believe it's actually happening, but it is, so that's awesome."

The room politely clapped and smiled warmly at Bra and Goten. Goten put an arm around Bra and squeezed her shoulder, but she only half-heartedly smiled and returned to her glare at Marron.

"So in closing, I'd like to add one more thing to the list of happiness that we are celebrating. Life is too short to waste another second…"

Trunks pulled out his chair and pushed it out of the way. Marron looked up at him and scrunched up her nose, wondering what on Earth he was doing.

"I'm not sure if you were expecting this or not, but I thought…what better place to do this than with all of our family…"

He reached into his pocket. Bulma and Chichi both gasped. Caulifla looked over at Goten, who nervously looked on in terror, knowing what Trunks was about to do.

"Marron, we've been through hell and back…so without wasting another second, will you marry me?"

A huge diamond sparkled atop a silver ring adorned with intricate details. Marron's mouth fell open. Bra's ki spiked. Vegeta looked like he might throw up.

"Oh, my God! Yes! Yes!"

Marron squealed, jumping from her chair and throwing her arms around Trunks' neck.

"Oh, for God's sake!" Bra exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air and rising from the table amidst the family's happy reaction.

Vegeta agreed and followed her out, handing the baby to Goku, who now held a grumpy Kole and a bouncy Lace. Tarble grabbed the wine bottle from the center of the table and chugged a large gulp right from the bottle before Bulma noticed and took it away from him hastily.

Amidst the chatter, the doorbell rang. Bulma started to rise, but Bra was already standing near the door. She sighed and took the chance to do something other than celebrate her brother's new engagement to her worst enemy.

When the door slammed shut and Bra re-emerged, the family looked up to see who could be ringing the doorbell so late. To the shock of everyone there, Pan stood in the foyer with a large duffle bag hanging from her shoulder and her long hair up in a voluptuous pony tail. Blue highlights decorated her raven-colored hair and dark makeup surrounded her eyes. This was not the Pan they'd all seen fly into the night a year ago.

She looked up from her straight bangs and smirked. Videl gasped, breaking the silence. Pan began to speak, but saw Trunks standing beside Marron, who was still holding her hand out from looking at her new bling. Pan's face fell into an injured frown.

"Long time, no see...what the _hell_ have I missed?" Pan asked with a smirk before dropping her bag from her shoulder without breaking eye contact with Trunks.


	2. Chapter 2

Trunks Brief was the only reason that Marron still lived in Japan. Yamcha and Eighteen were now happily engaged and living in America, learning English, and living the dream life with zero debt. When Mikio promised Marron that they'd never hurt for money again, she had no idea that he would also provide a lifetime of riches. Eighteen was in heaven. Though losing Krillin changed her forever, she seemed to be repairing herself and no longer struggling with depression the way she had been. Marron took solace in the fact that she didn't need to worry about them every waking moment of every day. It was a huge relief.

Despite that relief, Marron's mental health was anything but stable.

The night that Marron checked into Wukong Hospital was a terrifying whirlwind of nightmares. Her memory was spotty, her body was full of broken bones and bruises and her spirit was completely crushed. She'd betrayed the only people in Japan who loved her. She'd betrayed her ex-fiancé, who probably thought that he knew her better than anyone. She'd betrayed her childhood friend and almost killed her in the process of stealing her newborn child from her womb. Perhaps worst of all though, the one man who loved her despite everything else, was completely destroyed by what she'd done.

She noticed that Trunks was absent from the great battle with Hitake and Mikio. When she was placed on a gurney and wheeled up to the intensive care unit, she saw flashes in her head of the way he slammed against the walls of Hitake's mansion and smashed his legs in different directions. The image was startling and gut-wrenching. She couldn't bear to think of it any longer, but it wouldn't stop replaying.

That's when the screaming started.

Marron spent her first few days at Wukong screaming for hours on end. If she wasn't given drugs to calm herself, she would scream and cry, clawing at herself and the walls around her. She was placed in restraints and later moved to a full-on straightjacket. The horrible visions were beginning to disappear, but she wasn't sure if that was because she was healing or because she was on too many medications to count.

A few weeks went by in that cold, dark room without any visitors at all. With slight improvement, the doctors removed her jacket and watched her like a ticking time-bomb. Nurses came by every now and then, but they never spoke to her. She couldn't seem to recall what exactly happened to land her in this place any longer. Everything was a giant blur and too painful to recall.

One particularly quiet night, the staff was scarce and tired after working overtime on a recent accident in the city. Marron got out of bed and tip-toed to the glass door. She peered out into the hallway and noticed the head nurse asleep behind the rounded desk. Everything was so utterly silent.

She'd overhead one of the nurses speaking about a VIP client upstairs that was extremely attractive. The nurse continued to describe how moody he was and how often he lashed out, especially during the mental health assessments. She spoke of his lavender-colored hair and huge muscles like he was a dream. Marron smiled to herself at the time, knowing right away that they had to be describing Trunks.

Tired of playing the part of vulnerable human, Marron used what little energy she had to shoot the tiniest ki blasts into the locks on her door. It popped open instantly, but the sound didn't wake the sleeping nurse. Marron quickly pushed the door open and tip-toed her way down the hall, past the nurse and into the stairwell. Why hadn't she done this sooner? It seemed so easy.

After climbing a set of cold, metal stairs in her bare feet, she reached the next floor up. She entered the hallway and unknowingly bumped right into a guard that stood in front of a locked room. He reached for his radio and held out his other hand, but Marron held up her own hands in surrender.

"Sorry! I'm…I'm looking for Trunks Brief…is…is he here?" Marron whimpered.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to return to wherever you came from. Mr. Brief isn't seeing any visitors." The guard responded flatly, still holding the radio to his mouth.

"_Please_…I just need to see him. I'm his girlfriend! I was…in the same accident. I just want to make sure that he's okay…_please!_" Marron pleaded with watery eyes.

The guard frowned. He thought for a few seconds, but finally gave in to her when tears began to fall down her pale, thin cheeks. He grabbed his hospital ID card and slammed it against the card reader. The red light turned green and the doorknob popped.

"Go ahead, but you better make it quick." The guard warned.

Marron nodded and quickly ran past him and into the room. She gasped when she saw him.

Trunks was in bed looking at the ceiling. His legs were in giant casts and hanging on a machine so that he couldn't move them. His arm was bandaged like it had also been broken, though not as badly. He sighed loudly.

"What is it now? _Another_ damn psych eval?" He grumbled.

"Trunks…" Marron breathed.

He slowly turned his head towards the door. Marron inhaled sharply.

"I had to…see if it was really you that the nurses have been talking about…" Marron whispered, holding back more tears.

Trunks' eyes flew open. His lips quivered. The air in the room changed and thickened into an awkward silence that wouldn't end. Marron took a step forward, but Trunks withdrew and looked away. His sad eyes returned to the ceiling.

"Trunks, _please_ talk to me. I'll tell you anything you wanna know…Anything…"

She fought her urge to flee. His soft, blue eyes swallowed her up and spit her back out with horrible feelings of betrayal. She couldn't believe that she'd let herself deceive such a decent man. Her eyes again filled with tears that burst through the dam that she'd built for her weeks in solitude. Rushing forward, she knelt down by his bed and placed her forehead on his dangling, right hand.

When he didn't jerk it away, she cried into it and sobbed heavily. Every sadness she'd known in her life couldn't compare to the complete disaster that she'd created. This man helped her to forget her train-wreck of a relationship with Goten. He helped her when her father died. He even flew halfway around the world to be with her after she tore his heart out and left him. Now, she thought, he would _never_ forgive her again. There was no way that anyone would be stupid enough to trust her after what she did. She was finished with this life. She could only mourn the life she'd once known.

Finally, she felt Trunks inhale and stir slightly. She looked up quickly and felt hopeful.

"I…want to understand. I want to know what you were thinking." Trunks whispered softly, removing his hand from her tight grasp, "I thought that I knew you better...I thought you were better…I just can't understand why you did what you did."

Marron stayed on her knees and stared down at the floor with wide eyes. She couldn't answer, nor could she bring herself to look at him. She stayed silent for a long while. Little did she know, he was staring at her and growing very impatient.

"Would you look at me already?" Trunks snapped angrily.

Marron jolted her chin upwards and met his furious eyes. She gasped, startled by the anger in him. She crawled up the side of his bed and steadied herself on her feet, trying to stand up straight.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" Marron said almost too softly to hear, "I'll tell you exactly what happened. Until I'm finished, please…just let me explain to you…how sorry I really am."

His eyes softened. Her apology was the most sincere thing he'd ever heard her say. Marron turned and pulled the same chair that Pan sat in when she visited Trunks a few short nights ago over to his bedside.

"W-When I first moved to America, Mikio found me. He said that if I didn't do…what I did…that he'd kill my mother and Yamcha." Marron began.

Trunks seemed surprised. He stared at her, trying to believe her.

"If I agreed to keeps tabs on Bra and deliver that baby for them, he would pay off all of my dad's funeral costs and make sure that my mother never hurt for money again. This was…right after I found my mom bleeding out in the bathtub. She was really trying to kill herself. I mean, she was drowning in debt…but after my dad died, I couldn't lose my mom, too. Not like that. Not then. I was so scared and all I was thinking about was myself. I was weak…I should've been stronger….I should've been more like you…"

Trunks sighed loudly. He lowered his head and turned towards her slowly, aching in pain as he went. When his eyes met hers, they seemed to search her soul for the truth. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Trunks cleared his throat and inhaled.

"You're saying…you had no choice? You're saying they would have killed your mom?" Trunks asked sincerely.

"Yes. She would've been dead before you even left for the U.S….Yamcha, too."

Trunks breathed out as though a giant boulder was just removed from his shoulders.

"I thought that you did all of this on purpose. You have to understand that I'm angry with you. Like, very personally. But…after hearing all of that…I'm not so sure…I would've done anything differently…"

Marron felt relieved and exhaled, grabbing her chest. It seemed like he was beginning to forgive her, if not relate to her horrible decision. Though his reaction didn't justify her, it made her feel human again. She smiled and began to feel just a small glimpse of happiness after so much sadness.

"Marron…I should tell you. I kissed Pan that day. The day they rescued Goten and Bra's baby from Hitake…I kissed her right where you're sitting."

Marron's heart dropped out of her chest.

"K-kissed…her…" Marron whispered.

Trunks shook his head in frustration.

"I was high on pain medicine. I remember doing it, but I don't remember any thought process that may have gone into it. I was hurting, and injured…you gotta understand that things were confusing…she was here and in my face…I don't know."

Marron's hand dropped into her lap hopelessly. Trunks peered over at her and frowned remorsefully.

"I'm sorry that I did that to you." Trunks whispered, reaching out for her hand.

Marron looked up at him with sad eyes, but knew that she deserved every painful hit from now until the end of time.

"I'm grateful that you told me. Honesty is…_so_ important. I know that now." Marron answered, taking his hand.

Over the next few months, Marron continued to visit him as often as she could. The healing process was very slow for Trunks, especially since Gorin was completely out of senzu beans. Physical therapy was harder than he thought it would be and things as simple as getting up to go to the bathroom were killing his moral. Regardless of his mood, Marron stayed by his side day in and day out. When the hospital finally decided that she was mentally sane and not a danger to herself or others, she was released before Trunks.

With nowhere to live, Trunks readily gave her a key to his penthouse. She moved in, taking care of the place and getting it ready for his return. She was having trouble sleeping well, but she figured it was because she was alone in such a big home and just tried to make the best of everything.

The day finally came when Trunks was ready to walk out of the dreaded hospital and head home. He seemed excited, but scared as well. Marron helped him out of the room and pushed him out to the car in a wheelchair. She felt good and happy. Things appeared to be looking up.

Trunks had no idea that Marron was nowhere near as healed as he was.

That first night back, Trunks was fast asleep in his bed. His legs were achy, but after a while he'd calmed down enough to drift off. He was dreaming of happy things. His niece was smiling and laughing while Goten tossed her into the air. Bra was chatting with Marron about clothes. Suddenly, a piercing scream latched onto his subconscious and dragged him out of his happy dream like a dagger to the heart.

When he opened his eyes, Marron was screaming beside him like she couldn't hear herself. She was completely overcome by fear and horror. He flicked on the lamp, thinking that she was dying, but to his utter shock she was sitting up with her eyes wide open.

Trunks yelled and jumped backwards, startled by the scene straight out of a horror movie. Despite this, she didn't wake. Her body was drenched in sweat and her hands were locked in place. He shook her, cradled her, but nothing could snap her out of the horrific nightmare that kept her locked in. He worried that her screams would travel through the vents and someone else in the building would think that he was hurting her.

Finally, she snapped out of it and looked up at him sleepily.

"Trunks…what are you doing?"

He looked down at her as pale as a ghost. He couldn't speak. He grabbed her up into a hug and squeezed her tightly.

"Trunks! Are you okay? Did you fall? Are your legs okay? What's wrong?"

He pulled her back and stared at her blankly with his mouth wide open.

"Y-You were screaming. Like, literally screaming bloody murder. I couldn't stop you…you just kept screaming! What the hell were you dreaming about?"

She looked at him with a blank expression and shrugged.

"I wasn't dreaming about anything, actually. I don't remember having any nightmares…"

Trunks' wide eyes got even wider. Marron looked away, ashamed.

"I'm sorry if I scared you…"

He could tell that she was beginning to feel like he was angry with her. He didn't intend to give her that impression.

"Hey…I'm not mad. It was just scary. I mean, it was like someone was killing you. That was insane."

Marron shook her head and leaned back on her hands.

"I'm fine…hey, wait…did you fall asleep in here?"

He shook his head, but then quickly realized that he _did_ fall asleep on her bed. They'd been talking, but they had yet to regain the intimate side of their relationship. He was learning to trust her again and still weary. They hadn't even been cuddling that night.

"I…I guess I fell asleep when we were talking. God, I don't even remember what we were talking about…I was _so_ tired."

She smiled and blushed. He hadn't seen that smile in a long, long time. He relaxed onto one of the pillows and continued watching her closely. Marron scooter a little closer to him and brought her knees up to her chin.

"We were talking about college…how you had that professor that would wear the same sweater vest like…every day? The one with the Turkish accent?" She laughed.

"Yeah…Oh, God…hardest class ever. I totally squeaked by with a C in there. Whatever, it was just world history…"

They laughed together. He felt a warm sensation filling in his heart. He was still freaked out by her screaming episode, but something told him that it had to do with having such a horrible year. She'd lost her father and been manipulated to betray everyone she held dear in her life…not to mention the way that everyone treated her when she returned from overseas. He suddenly felt incredibly sorry for her, wishing that he could take all the negative things back and start over.

"Hey, Marron?" Trunks asked.

"Yeah?" She answered, peeking over at him.

"Do you love me?"

Marron stopped smiling and fell completely silent. Her crystal-blue eyes twinkled back at his, searching for the reason for such a random question. She didn't move her eyes from his gaze when she answered.

"More than anything on this Earth."

He smiled. Trunks felt himself falling away and being replaced by a new man. This new man was capable of forgiveness beyond his wildest imagination. He was capable of love and compassion that rivaled that of his sister's love for Goten. He wanted more than anything to settle down and live out the rest of his life with a partner that understood and respected him for all of the messed up things that he had done in his life. Marron knew every piece of that puzzle like the back of her hand. He felt himself falling into the same place he'd been with her before any of this happened. The happy and care-free life that he shared with her so briefly in America was returning to the surface.

He felt himself kissing her, but he couldn't remember getting to that point. He felt himself on top of her, loving her, needing her. It wasn't long before he was enveloped in her, completely and totally belonging to her. She kissed him passionately, begging for him to love her back. He could feel her soft skin beneath his as he poured his soul into her.

It was amazing, he thought. The feeling of all that pent up anger and all of the hatred towards what she'd done was becoming a fleeting memory. She was dissolving the hard outer layers of his soul and delving deeply into his heart. He began to dig deeper into Marron, making her his with the frustration that he still harbored. Did he really love Marron or was this some kind of twisted revenge? His thoughts diminished when Marron tangled around him and got on top, riding him like the royal stag that he knew he was.

The lamp he'd turned on when she woke him only illuminated enough to see the outlines of her dainty frame. She was beautiful, he thought, as her blonde hair tousled across her perfect bouncing breasts. He reached up to grab her, but she leaned forward and kissed him again, sending shockwaves up and down his muscular and powerful body. It was then that he realized it. Yes, he did still love this woman.

He reached up and pulled her hair behind her back gently, exposing her neck. He began kissing and sucking her neck fervently and aggressively. Something snapped inside him. He felt a pull in his stomach and an ache in his jaw. An animalistic feeling raged within him. He had to take action. He had to scratch the itch.

"Can I make you mine?"

Marron's eyes met his as she bit her lip, completely absorbed in his thrusting power.

"Y-Yes."

He didn't waste any time. He bit into her neck with force, causing her to shout slightly. Her shout melted into a moan and became a long, drawn out cry of pleasure as he pushed her off of the end of the bed and against the wall. His nature was exploding, crying out for this woman before him. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head as she wrapped her legs around his waist for balance.

"Trunks…you're…gonna…break…the…wall…" Marron uttered between powerful thrusts.

He could feel the wall caving as well, so he turned towards the floor and lowered her there. It wasn't going to be long now, he thought. This blissful pleasure wasn't going to last forever, especially with how long it'd been since the last time, and he was about to explode.

Marron reached up and grabbed at the back of his hair, but Trunks took her wrists again and forced them back down to the floor above her head. She looked a little surprised by his aggression, but he couldn't control himself. He'd never felt so in control of his feelings before. He'd never felt so powerful. He had to have complete domination. He wanted her to know that she could never cross him again. He wanted her to know that from that day forward, she belonged to him and him alone. No more games.

Finally, he reached his limit and released every ounce of pent up frustration and anger into her. He didn't expect that he'd be so loud, but her howling pleasure was certainly rivaled by his own at this point. She seemed to enjoy it, pulling herself up to him and contorting her back upwards. The moment was extraordinary.

He slowed and rolled over onto his back. She flipped with him and landed on his ripped abs with a scrumptious sigh.

"Geez…you freak…"

Trunks smirked dangerously at her and hugged her tightly. He didn't know what was coming over him, but the power and the rage that mixed into passion made him feel more alive than he'd ever felt in his entire life. Yes, he thought, getting past her betrayal was definitely possible.


	3. Chapter 3

Pan landed a few feet away from the rest of the group when they arrived at Wukong hospital. She headed to a nearby tree and leaned against its rough surface to clear her head. She tried to relax, but she could hear his voice over everyone else's.

Tarble was happily rejoicing with everyone around baby Lace. He looked so happy, she thought. She felt horrible about hurting him, but even worse about needing him to defend her in battle. He could have easily been killed when he shielded her from one of the guards at the cave. That first blow could have taken off his arm, which was still currently bleeding. He didn't even blink before he was right there, risking his life to save the girl who admitted she wished he was someone else.

Mikio, who sat away from the group, was panting heavily and holding Marron's head. Goku noticed the two and rushed over to them. Pan saw Mikio shake his head in protest, but Goku ignored him and threw Marron over his shoulder. He then helped Mikio up and started walking towards the hospital doors.

Pan's face burned red. Tarble saw the three and rushed over to Goku. She heard him ask if he could help and watched as he took Marron from Goku and held her like a baby. Her blood began to boil. Why the hell did Tarble care about Marron? He didn't even know her, let alone like her. Or did he like her? She was very pretty, maybe Tarble thought that she was attractive. He'd not seen blonde women before on Planet Vegeta according to her knowledge of traditional saiyans. All Vegeta ever did was complain that Trunks and Bra didn't look or act like true saiyans. They lacked that perfect, deafeningly black hair. Their eyes were light and cheerful instead of the preferred endless pits of darkness. What if Tarble wanted to get to know such a gorgeous girl better to spite Pan for loving Trunks, an imperfect saiyan?

No, Tarble was much easier to read than Vegeta. Tarble was good and pure. Meeting him was one of the best things that ever happened to her. He would help anyone if they needed it, even if he hated them. He was probably completely broken after he heard Pan talking to Trunks that night. That was certainly a good way to piss off any man, especially one so kind. He would never hurt her the way she hurt him.

Those countless days that they'd spent before she entered the chamber were the best days of her life. He was an excellent sparring partner, but not obsessed with training. He was happy to take breaks just so that he could sit and listen to Pan talk about her day. If she had a bad day at school, if she had a fight with a friend, even if she wanted to talk about Trunks, he was there. He was her best friend.

Talking about Trunks with Tarble was how their entire friendship started. Pan wanted to skip school and become an adult that Trunks would take seriously. She came to Tarble and told him how she'd throw it all away just to be with Trunks. She'd happily forgo prom, graduation, college, anything related to older teen years simply for a date with him. She was convinced that if he could only see her as a woman that he'd automatically fall in love with her. He'd cast that bland and weak Marron girl aside in an instant to be with a majestic and powerful saiyan woman like Pan.

Tarble would always listen quietly, eager to give advice. He would stare into her eyes and reach into her soul to find just the right words to calm her down. His silly smile would spread wide across his sweet face and laugh. He'd say, "Pan, stop tearing yourself down. You are perfect just the way you are! Any guy your age would be lucky to have you." She would always deny it and continue ranting.

On particularly bad days, Tarble would take her out to the abandoned baseball field just outside of the city right before sundown. He'd plop down onto the ground under a large Japanese Maple tree and stare up at the sky. She'd watch him nervously, wondering what kind of advice he'd offer to her when she had clearly blown up in another immature rant about how unfair life was. He'd take a deep breath and go on and on about how lucky they were to be alive. He'd touch on his old life, maybe bring up his late wife, Gure, and go on about how he never wanted to feel that kind of loss again. It was like he was the best older brother figure Pan could have ever had, always looking out for her and giving her the best ways to deal with her petty problems. He never once acknowledged her lack of maturity, nor did he make her feel like she was just a dumb girl in high school. Everything she had to say was just as important to him as it was to her.

The day that he took her to the chamber in Bulma's lab, he'd gone to meet her at school for lunch. She was outside sitting on top of a picnic table eating some handmade sushi from her lunch box. Other girls were looking at her and wondering who she was waiting for since her usual crowd was a group of boys that saw her as one of them. She normally wolfed down her lunch and went to join them for a game of soccer. She'd never sat quietly alone waiting for someone before.

She'd worn makeup that day. Not because she thought that she'd be going on a date, but because Tarble told her that she shouldn't be afraid of other people making fun of her for it. She wanted to start looking older and attract Trunks' attention. Makeup was just a part of that image in her mind. She looked down at her black shirt that was cut ever so slightly too low, revealing the little bit of cleavage that she had. Perhaps the push-up bra that she'd bought wasn't really the best idea, since most girls thought she'd stuffed that day. Why was it so inconceivable that she wore a padded bra like everyone else? Her fairly flat chest had never embarrassed her before. It was a good thing. They were out of the way for sports and training.

Her skinny jeans were new and well-fitting, instead of her usual ripped-at-the-knee jeans. She'd even worn her best jacket that day to look stylish in the cold. Was it really worth all of this effort just to see if Trunks would notice when he returned from America? She didn't know when he'd be back, so practice would have to make perfect. The more she dressed and acted like an older woman, the more he'd notice when he came back, she thought.

"Pan!"

The familiar voice was a shock to her, even though he'd text messaged to say he'd be there. She looked up from her sushi and saw his warm, smiling face jogging towards her. He looked overly excited, like he had great news to tell her. She wondered what he could possibly be so eager to say that couldn't wait until their normal training session after school.

"Hey! What brings you to this wonderful establishment for learning?" Pan sighed sarcastically.

Tarble laughed. He knew Pan too well to miss the sarcasm, plus his opinion of Earth's education was clearly a joke. He couldn't fathom an education so lacking in the science and mathematics he learned on his home planet.

"I have the most amazing plan! Could you please cut out a little early today? You _know_ you want to!" Tarble's face begged for understanding without divulgence of his secret.

"I can't cut school, Tarble…my dad would murder me. My grades may suck ass, but if I don't go to class on top of that…I won't even be able to train with you anymore!"

Tarble crossed his arms and pouted. He was so short, she thought. He was barely at eye level with her as she sat on top of the iron picnic table. Trunks was so much taller. Wouldn't it be weird to date a guy that's almost shorter than you are? She tried to snap her mind back to the current situation.

"Say…I think that your friends are admiring my good looks! I'm the hot, older guy!"

Pan turned her head to her left to see three of the biggest bitches in school gawking over her best friend. She considered her options. First option would be to tell them off, resulting in more harassment and hatred around school. Second option would be to ignore them, possibly prompting them to harass her anyway after he left. She despaired at her lack of courage. That is until she heard them begin to speak in their horribly high-pitched and stupid voices.

"Hey, cutie! Why bother talking to that loser when you could come over here and talk to some real women instead!"

Pan blushed violently and turned to give them a dirty look. The leader of their little pack stood up and made a gesture with her hands like she was saying "bring it on".

"What's the matter, Panny? Should we be more careful not to insult the great Hercule's granddaughter? You might sue me with all of your big money, right? Is this your sugar daddy?"

The girl had gone too far. Pan threw her food onto the table and stomped down onto the ground. Her eyes were wild, lit up with both anger at their mockery and embarrassment that Tarble had to see it.

She'd been bullied for her entire life. Her maternal grandfather was a celebrity with little shame, her paternal grandfather was a legend lacking general people skills and her parents were the popular city nerds with their saiyaman getups. She wasn't exactly the girliest girl either, so rumors that she liked girls had always been around. She took comfort hanging out with the jock guys at school but it still hurt to know that they would never consider her anything more than that tomboy that likes playing ball and martial arts. If they only knew how strong she really was. If they only knew how much she loved a man that was more successful than any of them would ever be in life. If they only knew the pain of growing up trying to lead a normal life with a very abnormal family.

"I'll kick your ass, bitch!" Pan heard herself shout. She couldn't stop the flood of emotions spinning out of control.

"Yeah? I bet you could with all your manly muscles! Go on, hit me!"

The red-haired, slender girl before her cocked her head to the side. She was not going to let this go. Several other students heard the commotion and ran towards them, ready to see a fight. The boys that she usually hung around with stopped playing soccer and ran over. Everyone began to chant the word fight over and over again.

Pan was much shorter than the red-haired girl. She was wearing converse sneakers while the popular girl rocked too-high stilettos, making the height issue even worse. Pan found herself wishing that Bra was here to rival the beautiful girl in looks and attitude, but she knew this was a chance to defend herself. Maybe Trunks could appreciate that. Pan certainly had enough spunk to fuel an entire crowd of people as she jumped back and assumed her normal fighting stance. The girl laughed with her friends.

"What is this? Are you Jackie Chan?"

Pan couldn't wait any longer. She flew forward and punched the girl in the stomach, knocking her across the yard and into another picnic table. She realized what she'd just revealed all too quickly when she looked around and saw every students' phone gleaming in the dim sunlight. Everyone had just filmed what she'd done, clearly showing that she was no average girl.

Two older boys stepped forward with their arms crossed. Their muscles squeezed up against their letterman jackets and their faces were red with anger.

"You think that you can get away with punching my girlfriend?" One boy growled.

"You think that you can hit my sister?" The other shouted.

Pan took a step back. She felt her nerves kicking in, staring around at the phones pointed at her and begging for another move. This would be on the internet before she could even sit back down. In a split second decision, she decided to continue with her saiyan pride and stood up taller.

"Yeah, I can, and I'll do it again if she gets back in my face!"

The next few moments went by so fast that she barely realized what happened. The bigger of the two boys went straight for her, fist ready to hit her right in the jaw. He missed, too slow to keep up with a clever fighter like Pan, but the other took the chance and hit her right on her cheek. She felt a gust of strong wind come from behind her before she hit the ground.

From the ground, she opened her eyes again and struggled to see what was happening. When her vision settled, she was both horrified and grateful for what she saw. Tarble was holding one boy by his shirt and the other by his ear. He knocked them together hard and threw them to the ground.

"You blasted idiots think that you can hit Pan and get away with it? Touch her again and you're both dead men!"

He kicked the bigger boy, rolling him over to his girlfriend. The brother was already crawling away and crying. Tarble had made his point. He turned around without acknowledging the other students and walked straight for Pan. He held out his hand and smiled at her, completely free of any lingering anger.

"Here…let me help you up."

Her heart stopped. She felt a little of this side of him a few nights ago when they'd watched the stars and he'd told her of his feelings about Gure and her death. He showed her his possessive side, expressing his anger over the men that killed her. But when he turned his head and looked at her, telling her about how much he wanted to start over with her as his best friend, she'd felt it. Now as he stood in front of her, defending her from the horrible people that she hated so much, her heart began to race.

What was this feeling? She only ever felt this way around Trunks, why would she feel this way now? Tarble wasn't like that to her. He was her friend. He was really the only friend that she had. He was the only person on the planet who'd ever taken the time to build her up from the little girl with no self-esteem to the young woman with a purpose.

"Tarble…"

Pan took his warm hand and got to her feet. She brushed off the dirt and wood chips from the schoolyard ground. She felt a pang in her cheek and reached up to hold it.

"Ow…he got me. That stupid bastard."

The students were still staring at them, but Tarble acted as though he didn't even see them. He looked into Pan's eyes with his perfect pedigree black orbs and exhaled. She suddenly felt like the Earth stopped rotating. Time had stopped ticking. It was only Tarble and Pan on the entire Earth. The students disappeared and the school was gone. All of her fears and worries and stupid, petty problems no longer mattered. With Tarble there to guide her, she'd never have to feel alone again.

He reached up and placed his hand on her cheek.

"Aw…do you need some ice or something? It's just a scratch but…you looked so beautiful today. They had to go and screw everything up. Please allow me to apologize for ruining your day…"

Her eyes twinkled. Ruin her day? He _saved_ her day! He made her entire day more meaningful than any other day!

"You…you saved me. Like, socially, because I totally just committed social suicide."

She felt silly for making such a mundane comment. What did Tarble care or know about social media and the stupid things that teenagers posted on the internet? His strange, saiyan accent and polite word use only added to her certainty that he had no idea what he just did.

"Of course I saved you. You're the most important person in the world to me. I'll always save you."

Her heart jumped out of her chest. She wanted to reach forward and grab it before it got away. It must have leapt five feet from her body.

"I have to go…Bulma needs me for this experiment she's performing on one of her robots. Are you sure that you wouldn't prefer to accompany me home? You might have trouble with these fools again. I'd have to come back here and teach them a real lesson in respect!"

Pan giggled at him. He was such a weird person, she thought. His bangs at the center of his forehead kept blowing into his eyes with the wind, making him scrunch up his face and whisk them away with his hand every few seconds. He continued to wear his excited expression without waver, all too ready to throw her over his shoulder and bring her to whatever plans he'd made beforehand.

"It's okay, Tarble. I've gotta stay through the mess that I've made. Remember…my dad? Suspension for fighting would be a lesser sentence from him than skipping school."

"Okay…well, I'll be counting the minutes until you come home!"

Pan blushed and grabbed him around the waist, bringing him in for a tight hug. He gasped, but returned her hug happily. She wanted to cry from embarrassment and from anger. She wanted to leave and never come back. She'd rather do anything besides turn around and face these students again, but she had to keep her priorities in order.

"Thank you…"

She whispered in his ear. She could feel the warmth radiating between them, like an electric pull that was too strong to ignore.

That evening, she got detention for the fight. She had to turn in her phone before she could let him know, so his big surprise would have to wait. When she ran towards him outside of Bulma's house, her heart raced excitedly. What were they about to do? She was just happy that whatever it was, he would be there.

"Hey, Pan…"

Pan snapped out of her dream world and looked up. A younger version of the Tarble in her thoughts was standing in front of her with concern all over his face. He approached her, but she retreated into herself. How could she ever make it up to him? He'd been the only one there for her when Trunks wasn't even in the same country. He'd even taken the chance of kissing her to prove that she felt for him what she thought that she felt for Trunks. He'd rather her know the truth and risk their entire friendship than go on lying about his love for her. What had she done to him?

"Tarble…I…"

He stayed quiet, listening patiently with sad eyes. He always listened.

"I don't know…" Pan trailed off.

"This is all my fault, Pan…I should _never_ have kissed you. I feel like I've lost my closest and most precious friend. I do love you, Pan. If that means that I can only be your friend and cheer you from the sidelines…well…I'm okay with that. You made it perfectly clear to me that you loved Trunks from the minute that we first spoke beyond a greeting. You were honest from day one and I pretended like I was oblivious. I am so sorry…I just can't help that I'm in love with you. Please accept my apology."

Pan stood flabbergasted at the confession he'd just read off to her like it was straight out of a movie. Forgive him for loving her? Forgive him for always being the one to pick her up from nothing? Forgive him for wanting to start over after the death of his wife with her? A mere quarter-saiyan with nothing to offer but stupid feelings and an unclear mind?

"This is…_so_ stupid! You can't _possibly_ love me! I'm so stupid! I'm literally nothing!"

Pan started to cry heavily. Tarble placed his warm hand on her shoulder and used the other to raise her lowered chin. He looked her straight in the eyes and caressed her cheek. He wiped away her tears and smiled his quirky smile.

"You are _everything_."

She shoved him away and continued to cry. She looked at the entrance to the hospital and saw that everyone had gone. It was only them, just like it'd been in the moment he first made her heart leap. It was truly only them in this moment. She couldn't bear the weight anymore. She loved Trunks and was so excited to be with him, but how could she be happy with him knowing that Tarble would always love her no matter what?

_It was over_, she thought.

She wanted so badly to grow up and become a woman, but being a woman was too hard. Instead of learning how to manage all of these feelings and emotions the natural way, with other teens, she'd forgone all of that to selfishly seek the easy way out. She had only one option to fix everything for everyone involved.

It was time to leave and find herself before it was too late. She turned to Tarble and frowned.

"I've gotta go…" She said flatly.

"I could fly you home if you'd like…" Tarble offered through sad eyes.

"No. I mean I've gotta go…away from here. Away from Japan. I can't be here knowing that all I do is cause everyone around me pain. I've gotta grow up and I can't do that if you're going to just tell me I'm awesome when I'm not." Pan spat angrily, turning away from him.

"Pan, please…don't go…" Tarble said shakily.

"I'm going. Good-bye, Tarble."

She kicked off into the sky without another word and headed home. She would pack some things into her duffle bag, say good-bye to her mother and grandmother and leave before anyone could stop her. This was too much for her to handle. Consequences weren't important to her anymore. Her heart said a silent prayer that one day she could regain the friendship with Tarble and the respect from Trunks. Maybe one day she could truly consider herself to be a grown-up, but that day was not today.p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; background: #FFFFFA;"It was over/span/emspan style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; background: #FFFFFA;", she thought. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; background: #FFFFFA;"She wanted so badly to grow up and become a woman, but being a woman was too hard. Instead of learning how to manage all of these feelings and emotions the natural way, with other teens, she'd forgone all of that to selfishly seek the easy way out. She had only one option to fix everything for everyone involved./spanspan style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"br /br /span style="background: #FFFFFA;"It was time to leave and find herself before it was too style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe turned to Tarble and frowned./span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; background: #FFFFFA;""I've gotta go…"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe said flatly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; background: #FFFFFA;""I could fly you home if you'd like…"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanTarble offered through sad eyes./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; background: #FFFFFA;"" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI mean I've gotta go…away from style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAway from style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI can't be here knowing that all I do is cause everyone around me style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI've gotta grow up and I can't do that if you're going to just tell me I'm awesome when I'm not."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanPan spat angrily, turning away from him./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; background: #FFFFFA;""Pan, please…don't go…"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanTarble said shakily./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; background: #FFFFFA;""I'm style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanGood-bye, Tarble."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; background: #FFFFFA;"She kicked off into the sky without another word and headed home. She would pack some things into her duffle bag, say good-bye to her mother and grandmother and leave before anyone could stop her. This was too much for her to handle. Consequences weren't important to her anymore. Her heart said a silent prayer that one day she could regain the friendship with Tarble and the respect from Trunks. Maybe one day she could truly consider herself to be a grown-up, but that day was not today./span/p


	4. Chapter 4

Trunks laid naked beside Marron on the floor. He was too overwhelmed with feelings to move. He'd never been very good at processing these things, but this was a whole new level.

He stared at Marron's neck as she slept. Why had he actually bitten her? He'd never done that before. Will Marron ask him about it directly? She didn't seem to mind at the time.

He decided he needed some air to clear his head. He slowly crept out from beneath Marron's sleeping body and held still in the darkness. She didn't wake up, but she quietly curled into a ball. He grabbed the blanket off of her bed and placed it gently on top of her. He was too afraid of waking her to move her onto the bed. Who knows what kind of questions she'd have when she woke from this activity-induced slumber.

His picked up his boxers from the floor and slid them on before lazily walking over to the bed. He found his phone sitting in the center of the mattress and snatched it up protectively. He plopped down on the edge of the bed and automatically began scrolling through his emails, though there was nothing new. He moved on to his text messages. A lock appeared next to one message a few months back. The one message that he hadn't been able to delete. He sighed and headed for the door to his balcony, flicking open the message as he stepped outside.

_"I can't be here anymore. I'm sorry. Don't forget about me."___

The words in the text haunted him as he read them over carefully for the thousandth time. Why _did_ she send a text message instead of coming to see him in person? The answer was fairly simple.

It was just textbook Pan.

She wanted to be more mature and grow up so badly, yet her actions were so childish. She was so dramatic and just plain odd. Trunks scoffed and reached up for the delete button with his thumb. He hesitated, but turned around and looked through the open doorway at a peaceful, sleeping Marron. He shook his head and tapped the delete button once and for all. Suddenly it wasn't so difficult to forget about her. He had Marron now.

Despite loving Marron for who she was, she was still very broken. The woman had sacrificed everything in some way or another. The girl he'd taken out the night her father was admitted to the hospital, shy and quiet…that was the real Marron. The girl in America, playful and loving, was also the real Marron. He knew her better than he ever knew any woman in his life. Her laugh ignited something inside of him like an out of control fireworks display. Her smile made him feel like the man he wanted to be, strong and powerful, yet soft and sensitive on the inside. No one compared to her. No one made Trunks feel like Marron did, especially not Pan.

Was it _so_ horrible what she'd done? Sacrificing her happiness to protect her mother and Yamcha was hardly the selfish thing to do in that situation. She had no other choice. She was backed into an impossible corner. He couldn't look at it from any other perspective at first when he was lying in a hospital bed and in pain, but now, things were so different. He felt like he could forgive her for anything.

He sat down at the glass table on his balcony and rested an arm on the iron chair.

What happened in his mind to bring down the barrier he'd placed so carefully around his heart?

He didn't even intend to go into her room that night. She'd been living there with him long enough to make the room her own. He didn't need to help her with anything or bother her. He could have stayed away, but talking to Marron was like talking inside of his head. There was nothing that he felt uncomfortable sharing with her. It was therapeutic.

As he relished within the images of her bouncing up and down on top of him, he reached up and touched his lips. He remembered the moment he bit into her skin and felt a shiver run down his back. Her blonde hair, her blue eyes, her feminine body…it was all too much for him to continue resisting even if he wanted to.

Finally, too tired to stay awake any longer, he returned to her bed and laid down quietly. He felt bad leaving her sleeping on the floor, but again worried about waking her if he moved her. He rubbed his forehead and tried to sleep, but one aching question remained.

Why _was_ he so mesmerized by her?

Goten was _engaged_ to Marron. When things ended for them, Goten filled Trunks' head with horrible details about her, but he never gave a real reason for ending it. He began to remember a very specific event while he stared up at his ceiling, half-asleep.

Goten and Trunks were at another crazy party. They were sixteen and seventeen, but the party was clearly taken over by college students from West City University. The girl who threw the party had older brothers at WCU, so her parties generally always became their parties. It was socially accepted as the norm.

The booze, the sex, the drugs…it all seemed like it was straight out of a movie. Goten fit right in with the crowd, doing shots and making out with all the girls. No one had any idea that he was just sixteen. Though Goten would force Trunks to partake in the party with him, he was not as adapted to the situation.

Trunks could keep up with Goten in drinking, dominated in stupid prank games and certainly bested any frat boy at arm wrestling, but the most important factor to any drunken, teenaged party was his worst skill: girls.

At this particular party, Goten was undoubtedly the center of attention. It was during one of his many break-ups with Marron and he was desperately trying to get over her. He hopped up on top of a fancy table in the grand foyer effortlessly, stunning the sorority girls at his feet. His skinny jeans clung to his long legs as he stood above the crowd, perched high and proud. The adolescent hormones surged as the music pounded through the large halls. He smiled wide and began to bow and nod, accepting the applause as everyone began to notice him above them. He held up his hand in the direction of the DJ playing music from his expensive laptop and the music stopped. Goten cleared his throat and winked at some girls. Trunks watched his best friend nervously, afraid to hear what he was going say. It was commonplace for Goten to announce his own, weirdly-invented drinking games this way.

He began to explain the rules for his next crazy invention. Something involving jello shots and pole dancing. Trunks smacked his head and turned around. He snaked through the crowd with a drink in hand, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Most college students, especially drunk ones, didn't recognize him as the heir to the Capsule Corp fortune anyway, so these parties were a great place to hide. Girls didn't throw themselves at him for a shot at his money and guys didn't mess with him looking for a fight. He could disappear and just people watch like the anti-social weirdo he was.

He found a couch in the next room over with a free seat in the middle. He squeezed past the last few people and plopped down next to a guy holding a very large bong. He felt so uncomfortable watching the scruffy looking boy with long bangs peeking out from under his yellow and green beanie. He lit the end of the device and inhaled for a while before coughing out a cloud of smoke. Trunks gagged a bit from the smell, but there was nowhere else for him to go. Every surface was occupied by someone. He took a large swig of his beer and continued watching the guy before being offered a hit. He awkwardly declined, but a part of him wished he could let go and try it. He was simply too scared of what might happen, no matter how badly Goten wanted him to believe that weed was no big deal.

Trunks looked down at his hands. The couch below him had to be worth a good bit of money. He recognized it as the same brand that his mother bought earlier that month for their living room. It already had spilled drinks and ash from cigarettes decorating its delicate fabric. What a shame, he thought. People could be such _heathens_.

The girls to his right got up and wandered away laughing at some joke when another girl came to sit beside Trunks. She had long, platinum-blonde curls hanging over her shoulders. She tossed her hair away from her face and began to play on her phone when she sat softly beside him. He fought the urge to look at her screen as she seemed completely absorbed in whatever was on it.

He noticed her high cheek bones and thin figure. She looked like a perfect, Scandinavian model. Her hazel eyes were fixed ahead on the phone and her pink nail polish glittered with each swipe. He was perplexed by this girl that wasn't even looking at him nor talking to him. This was unusual for Trunks. He certainly noticed hot girls on occasion, but this girl was way beyond any girl he'd ever seen at these parties.

Suddenly, the lights went out. Everyone screamed and stumbled about. The girl had been so startled that she dropped her phone and jumped into Trunks' lap. He could smell her strong perfume that masked the horrible marijuana smell coming from the guy to his left. Her hair was on his face, tickling his nose and causing him to hold in a sneeze. Her petite frame had flown into his arms and he realized that his hand was rather close to her chest. He felt his cheeks turning red and his face heating up. She still had yet to acknowledge the boy she'd hopped on top of, but she was feeling around for her phone.

He felt the phone hit his foot when she jumped, but he was too nervous to tell her. He let her continue to wiggle around and search blindly, feeling all around him. He felt her hand tap his right leg, move to his left and back. She felt his shirt, but quickly realized that her phone wasn't there and reached lower. Trunks nearly jumped off the couch himself, but just as he reacted, the lights switched back on.

Her hand was on his lap, feeling about for her phone. She'd mistaken something else for a possible phone. He stared at her, horrified and embarrassed. She blushed and quickly retracted her hand, but kept her honey-colored eyes fixed on his. She smiled. He felt a strange urge to kiss her overwhelming him. She brushed a blonde curl from her face and looked down, before returned her gaze to him once more. He wondered if she liked what she'd accidentally felt, but worried that perhaps she was actually underwhelmed and about to make fun of him. Some self-esteem, he thought.

Suddenly, she leaned forward. Her revealingly low top acted as an eye magnet for Trunks. He couldn't believe what was happening. When she returned to eye-level, she moved close to his face, staring at him and waiting as though she were just as nervous as he was. He felt himself breathing too heavily and shaking slightly. He'd never been so close to a girl with this kind of beauty.

Her lips parted gently. Trunks felt his mimic hers silently. This was it, he thought. She was going to kiss him. She must have really liked what she felt. His head was going to explode with anticipation. _Kiss_ me, he wanted to yell.

Without further hesitation, the girl leaned back with a jolt and a huge smile spread across her face. He felt the vibe between them vanish in an instant and knew what she was about to say. He expected this. Every single time he went to one of these parties. Every single time Goten abandoned him to party with older chicks, this would happen at least once. He hated his family momentarily.

"Oh, my God! Are you Trunks Brief?" The girl asked in a high pitched, valley-girl type of voice.

"Yes…"

Trunks felt his whole face turn beet-red.

The girl lit up with excitement and thrashed around, still on top of him. With her phone back in hand, she flicked on the screen and turned on her camera app.

"Can I get a picture with you?" The girl asked with stars in her eyes.

Trunks sighed and rolled his eyes. He should be happier about a girl insisting to get a picture with him, but he despaired. This sort of thing always happened. So much for feeling confident in his own right.

"Yeah…"

He thought for quick a moment. Why should he be giving out free pictures? Goten mentioned what he should do in this situation before, but he never had the opportunity to try it. He inhaled and tried his best to sound confident.

"You can take a picture, but only if you kiss me, first."

The girl blushed and shut her mouth. He felt his heart begin to race. What had he just asked? He'd never kissed a girl before. Was she even into him enough to do that?

"Okay." The girl shrugged nonchalantly.

She leaned forward and held the phone out in front of her for a picture. She turned her face to him and smiled awkwardly. She shoved her tongue in his mouth, causing him to open his eyes widely in shock. He'd only wanted her to kiss him quickly, not a full on make out session.

She snapped the picture and showed it to him. It was a very unflattering picture, but she seemed happy about it.

"I'm gonna put this on facebook! Thanks so much!" She squealed.

He felt dread creeping in on him. Facebook? He didn't have one because he knew everyone would only friend him to say they were friends with his name. No one even knew him for his personality.

Just then, Goten came bounding into the sitting room and practically knocked the blonde girl down as she was leaving, satisfied with her picture. He sat down next to Trunks and hiccupped, clearly drunk out of his mind. He swayed to one side and then the other, sniffing the horrid smell still coming from Trunks' neighbor. He reached behind Trunks and tapped the guy.

"Yo…can I get in on that?" Goten asked.

Trunks gasped.

"Goten! C'mon, I can't let you do that man…" Trunks warned, stopping the stoner-guy from passing his bong.

"Dude, stop being so lame. If you could just try shit, you would like it." Goten spat back at him.

Goten grabbed the bong and lit it up. Trunks watched him in horror. He was nervous. Goten had never actually smoked in front of Trunks before, even though he'd bragged about doing it.

"Are you okay?" Trunks asked after a few silent seconds.

Goten coughed out some smoke and nodded happily, passing it back to the stoner. He stopped short and passed it back to Trunks.

"Try it." Goten barely got out, before coughing again.

"I…I don't think…"

"Do it, bitch!" Goten insisted.

Trunks growled and took the bong in hand. He stared at it. If Bulma found out, she would kill him. She would also probably disown him. Drugs were always the scariest thing to Trunks.

"C'mon, bro! Puff and pass!" The stoner said.

"_Fine!_"

Trunks did exactly as Goten had done and held his breath for a few seconds. When he exhaled, a horrible cough struck him like he was having an asthma attack. Goten and the stoner kid laughed hysterically and patted him on the back.

"That's normal, Trunks. Once you're done coughing, sit back and chill." Goten assured him.

Trunks caught his breath and sat back against the couch. The first thing he felt was a calming wave settling over him and bringing him into a state of mind he'd never experienced. His toes tingled and his face went numb. A smile spread across his face and he closed his eyes.

"Yo, you can't fall asleep! We still have a game to win in there!" Goten slapped Trunks in the stomach.

"Why do I feel so…tired…?" Trunks asked lazily.

"Dude…why are you sitting in here? We just played the best modified pong game ever! This girl totally took off her top and danced on that pole thing like a fuckin stripper! It was great…too bad she was wearing a bra! You missed the whole thing."

"I'm just…I don't know…This girl just kissed me and…"

"_Kissed_ you?" Goten cut Trunks off and looked as though he'd just won the lottery, "Dude! This is _great!_ Did other girls see you? Kiss one and the rest are bound to come running!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. Even though she'd made him angry by asking for a picture, he was still excited that she kissed him. The unfamiliar sting of pleasure in his gut from his first kiss still lingered, as did the slight blush on his cheeks. He started laughing to himself and flopped his head back onto the couch. Goten looked overjoyed and clapped his hands together. He got up clumsily and held out a hand to Trunks.

"Let's do shots to celebrate!"

Trunks sighed, "I don't really want to…I feel kinda queasy…"

Goten grabbed Trunks and pulled him up, ignoring what he'd just said. Trunks didn't usually have a choice. Partying with Goten was an endless cycle of getting abandoned for drinks, getting forced to drink, and then being abandoned again when Goten found a girl to make out with for a few hours. It's not that he minded, because he actually enjoyed the atmosphere and the people watching. He only wished that he wasn't jealous of Goten.

Trunks could never find the courage to talk to girls, even when he'd been drinking. He never had the courage to play the drinking games unless Goten forced him to. Truth be told, he was much more powerful than Goten. If the wrong guy tried to mess with him and he'd been drinking, his father's anger would show itself and he usually regretted that decision. It was just best if he laid low at these things and let Goten get all of his energy out before they wandered home and crashed.

Trunks unwillingly dragged his feet out to the kitchen area and joined in on a game of regular beer pong. Goten jumped onto the opposing team and challenged Trunks. He sighed and began to play, landing each ball in whatever cup he aimed for. He was always pretty good at this game. As long as no one challenged him aside from Goten, he was happy to win.

On his next shot, that platinum-blonde girl who kissed Trunks earlier joined their game. She shot a ball right into the center cup easily and cheered. She was good, Trunks thought. She continuously beat Trunks at every turn, getting him drunker and drunker by the minute. Goten was howling and shouting with an arm around her. It felt like the room began to spin when Trunks took his final shot.

He missed miserably.

"Okay! I'm defeated! You win!" He exclaimed, pointing a drunken finger at her and laughing, spilling some beer on the table.

"_Yeah_ I do!" The girl shouted.

She ran over to Trunks and jumped onto his side. In front of everyone, she kissed him again, just as violently as before. Goten began to chant something about "get it, get it", but Trunks felt too dazed to comprehend the words. He just kept kissing her. He felt her warm, soft skin as he placed his hands on her waist just underneath her shirt. After that, he blacked out.

The next morning, he woke up in a strange room. It was filled with pink and green décor and smelled like flowers and candy. He blinked a few times, trying to remember these surroundings.

The light from the window was blinding. It made his head pound and ache. It felt like his eye sockets were pulsating. Drinking this much wasn't usually how he ended party nights, but he supposed it was about time he woke up in Goten's usual situation. He wondered who let him stay at their place with such girly things scattered about.

Then it hit him.

He felt a cold chill run down his back. Slowly, he turned his head to its side. The sight before him made him sick with guilt.

_It wasn't supposed to happen like this. _

Panic flooded through his body the longer he stared.

A very beautiful, very naked girl laid fast asleep beside him. Her blonde curls were askew and frizzy. Her mascara was running down her face. The lace panties she'd been wearing were hanging from the doorknob. This was a _dorm_ room, he realized.

He'd just lost his virginity to a random college girl.

He rolled over slowly and slinked out of the bed. He looked around and quickly located his boxers and pants, but his polo shirt had disappeared. What on Earth was he going to do without his shirt? Perhaps college guys occasionally walked out of a girl's room shirtless, but he was still a senior in high school. Not to mention a celebrity of sorts.

"Hey…Looking for this?" The girl asked sleepily, holding his shirt in her hand and waving it around.

"Yeah…look, I gotta go…" Trunks grumbled.

"Well this is _mine_ now…Guess you'll have to show off that incredible bod. Just know who gave you those scratch marks down your back and the handcuff marks on your wrists."

Trunks turned bright red. He realized that his back was stinging a little bit, but he'd not considered why. He looked down at his wrists and saw the marks she was referring to. He began to remember her freaky show of toys and methods that he'd never heard of. She was a total freak. He felt himself getting excited again, but the embarrassment was far too strong to continue down that path. He was overwhelmed with feelings. He stormed over to her window and propped it open.

"Look, this didn't happen. We didn't happen. Erase that picture of us or I'll sue the hell out of you…got it?" Trunks felt his blood begin to boil with humiliation.

The girl seemed completely shocked. She nodded, clearly hurt, but reached for her phone and showed him the screen as she deleted the photo. She looked truly saddened by his reaction, but he didn't care. It wasn't in his nature to care if it could damage the Brief family image. His father's pride ran too deep in his veins.

That night was the first and last Trunks had ever heard of that girl. Her beauty and her scent stayed with him, though. Any girl that came afterwards was compared to her in his mind. Goten remembered the girl, but never saw her at another party. It was like she vanished, even though Trunks secretly wished that he could see her again. From then on, any woman he displayed any interest in was blonde.

After reliving that night in his dreams, feeling groggy. He was laying on the floor of Marron's bedroom with her draped over his left arm.

_When did he get back onto the floor? _

He couldn't remember much after laying on her bed the night before. He turned to nuzzle her, but a strange sensation filled his body with dread when he looked at her.

She was still completely naked and absolutely stunning. Her pale skin glowed in the light of the window. Her blonde hair fell in waves over her chest and sparkled in the sun. Suddenly he remembered his memory of his first time like it was yesterday. He remembered the girl that stole all of his firsts from him in a single, drunken night and then vanished.

_What a vivid dream_, he thought.

Could this be why he was so intoxicated by Marron at first? Did she remind his subconscious of the mystery girl from the party? He wondered what ever happened to her and exhaled loudly. He didn't want to think of such things when there was so much going on in his life.

Marron stirred and stretched out. He marveled at her perfect body. It wasn't toned and muscular like he imagined a saiyan woman's to be, but soft and natural. He stared at her and felt a burning urge to take her again filling his every nerve ending.

He pulled his arm from under her slowly and kissed her neck around the bite mark. She shivered and opened her deep-blue eyes.

"Hey…Just what are you doing, Mr. Brief?" She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He suddenly felt as high as he'd been at that party with Goten. His senses were overloaded. Maybe he did originally feel attracted to Marron because of that girl, but that didn't matter now. This beautiful angel before him had stayed by his side for every single excruciating day of physical therapy. This girl had become more than someone who was weak and broken. She'd risen above the most difficult obstacles in life to reveal her true self. He had to know that new self, both at the surface and to the depths of her soul. He had to make her entirely his. Only then could he forget the memories of his past and move forward. Months of wallowing in her wrong doings like his sister was doing was not possible any longer for Trunks.

"I love you." Trunks whispered softly.

Marron's eyes glistened.

"I…love you, too."

She touched the tip of his nose with hers and smiled. He watched her close her eyes and relax against him. Without another second to waste, he began to kiss her ferociously. His lips parted hers as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. He let it play around with hers for a long while, feeling every inch of her with his hands. She let herself fall limp into his grasp, ready for domination over her body. He was rough yet tender, angry yet calm.

He felt powerful and raw. His innermost feelings for Marron grew stronger with each kiss. Talking was no longer how he could communicate his feelings. He'd never been good at that, anyway. It was time to express himself in…other ways. He was no longer that shy little virgin at a college party.

He was a man.

He pulled her on top of him and ran his large hands up and down her naked sides. She shivered at his touch. He slid his boxers down his legs quickly with one hand, allowing her to slide onto him and ride him as she'd done the previous night. He liked feeling her on top, but he quickly felt like he needed more control. He wanted to show her how ready he was to love every piece of her and no one else. She was moving too slow for his rabid pace.

He yanked her down onto his chest and reveled in the feeling of her breasts on his skin. She moaned slightly. He pushed her off onto the floor and climbed on top of her like a lion about to pounce. They entangled together in a mess of limbs as he feasted upon her, sucking and kissing parts of her that he'd long imagined would taste this good.

He continued to light her up, bringing her in and out of the real world as she tumbled from climax to climax. He was beginning to figure out how she worked and what set her off in only a few seconds. Soon the yelling and moaning was all too tempting. He spread her legs wide and crawled onto her, letting his weight come down on her. She looked up at him and kissed his lips again. He wanted to be inside of her, but he wanted her to know that this time he knew what he was doing. This wasn't by accident. He loved her and only her.

He thrust inside of her and began to pound her hard from the start, making the floor shake. She screamed and dug her nails into his back. He liked the sting from that. She yanked on his hair and continued to yell out in pleasure. Trunks returned her calls with his own, again unaware of just how vocal he was. It wasn't exactly normal for a man to be so loud, but Marron seemed to be fueled by it. Every moment that he looked into her eyes before throwing his head back and shouting her name, she would meet his thrust with a deep and steady circular motion. They couldn't stop or slow as the tension built up. His saiyan body shot into high gear as he transformed into his super saiyan form.

Marron gasped and watched her lover burst into flames. His skin was hot to the touch and sweat poured off of his glistening muscles. She pulled herself up to his chest and held onto him tightly. He had her pinned to the floor and the pleasure seemed like it would never end. He was unstoppable. Insatiable. He'd gotten his longevity back, as the time seemed to slip by without any slowing down. Marron was beginning to really enjoy his aggressive approach, but Trunks wondered how much further he could push her.

He flipped her over and shoved himself into her from behind. He felt his body tremble with excitement as he reached forward and grabbed her hair. He tugged on it slightly, tilting her head up and back. She pressed back against him and hoisted herself upwards, leaning back on his chest and making him sit back on his legs. He began to bounce her up and down from a seated position. Quickly into this position, the angle made it impossible for him to last much longer. He pushed her forward on all-fours again. This time, he couldn't help himself. He had to try it. If she didn't like it, he'd never do it again, but his animosity couldn't hold back any longer.

He grabbed her hair again, this time less delicately. He lifted his right hand off of her waist and slapped it forward onto her backside. She yelped, but didn't stop moaning. He did it again. He moaned out the word "yes". He smacked her harder. She continued to yell out yes over and over. He couldn't handle this without planning for it. More experiments would surely come as he began to discover his animalistic approach.

He drilled into her, sending her into fits of shakes and uncontrollable shouts. His saiyan flames engulfed her. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her waist and propped one of his bent legs up on his foot, giving him even more traction to pound away. She arched her back towards him, twisting at just the right angle. He closed his eyes and let it all go. She twisted back and forth slightly as he came, sending him up and above the clouds, numb to anything and everything around him.

He laid his body out flat onto her back, still inside of her and pulsating. He rotated her face around towards him and kissed her lips, sending white-hot shocks up from his toes to his cheeks.

This was how it was _supposed_ to feel. This was the woman that he'd spend the rest of his life loving without question.

He let go of his super form and let himself collapse onto the floor. Covered in sweat, she sat up and looked down at him with a drunken smile across her happy face.

"God, that was amazing, Trunks…" Marron laughed, still panting.

All of the talking when he was in the hospital bed, all of the help when he was in his braces, it all led up to this. He'd fallen in love with his blonde vixen all over again.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning after Trunks revealed his grand plan to propose to Marron to his family, it seemed as though life was simply mocking Tarble. While an excited Bulma busied herself in the kitchen humming a happy tune and Vegeta rocked the Earth from inside of the gravity machine, Tarble stood in front of his ornate bathroom mirror staring at himself hopelessly. He examined his youthful appearance, moving from one cheek to the other with a razor. He wanted desperately to feel happy for his nephew's impending engagement, but he found himself wallowing in endless jealousy. If Trunks had only committed to Marron sooner and stayed away from Pan in the first place, then maybe he could have singlehandedly prevented the majority of their biggest problems. In his mind, everything went south the moment Trunks allowed Marron to move away when he was clearly in love with her.

_Why wasn't he honest with her?_

After Pan left for her tour around the world, every new day was an agonizing struggle for the lovesick saiyan. Pan had begun to fill the massive hole left in his heart after the death of his wife. Now that he was alone yet again, his heart was ripping in half. Her laughter filled the silent halls of his home every time he thought of her. Her pouty expression danced into his mind whenever he trained by himself. Her demanding persona was too much to forget, really. She was everywhere he looked and everywhere he went. He was lost without her.

But he _was_ honest with her. She still left.

When he grew tired of looking at himself in the mirror, he washed his face and walked down the hallway back into his large bedroom. The blue walls were decorated with posters of bands he'd discovered when treading through a playlist Pan made on his phone. His home planet didn't have "rock" music, only music with instruments of nature. Their music had a metallic quality to it and sounded similar to what he'd heard of Earth's ancient tribal music. He chuckled to himself when he looked up at a poster of Korn, a heavier band that he'd found most fascinating. What would his people think of such a thing? What would _Gure_ think? He pushed the thoughts away as he pulled on his favorite red polo shirt and plaid shorts. He told himself to stop thinking of the women he'd lost and only think of the future, but that was much easier said than done.

He heaved a large sigh and looked out of his bedroom window while he tied his tan loafers. He watched the early morning clouds float by and reveal a blazing, beautiful sun. The sun was such an incredible creation on this planet, he thought. It's orange and pink palette of colors decorated a perfect, dusky purple sky and reflected off of the puffy, white clouds. It moved him inside to see such beauty. The sunrise and the sunset were both such amazing sights to behold. On his home planet, the sky was never beautiful. It was dull green and full of moons. Even planet Namek was a more luscious and attractive planet than his, though he'd never admit it out loud.

In addition to the greyscale color scheme he'd grown up with, trees were scarce and rare due to all of the tall, white buildings taking up the land. The white giants climbed into the sky and twisted around each other until they disappeared into a sea of flying vehicles and robotic creatures. Sometimes he worried that Earth would become that way, but then he reminded himself that it probably wouldn't happen in his lifetime. The technological advances even Bulma made every day were nothing compared to the masters and genius scientists that he'd learned from. He often pretended that he didn't know or understand something just to make Bulma feel smarter, but it was never the case. He knew so much more than he felt willing to share. It all came back to his broken heart. He simply lost interest in everything that made him into the man that he was.

After several minutes inside his thoughts, he slowly made his way down the grand staircase and entered into the kitchen where Bulma stood, still humming the same cheerful tune.

"Good morning, sister." Tarble said quietly.

He continued to hold onto his impeccable manners. He believed that no matter how upset he became, the way he spoke to and treated other people was something that defined him.

"Hi, Tarble!" Bulma chirped happily as she began to chop some vegetables, "Why aren't you outside training with Vegeta and Cabba?"

Tarble gasped, "Cabba is here _again?_"

"Your brother has a sort of teacher and student relationship with Cabba. I guess now that he and Caulifla are back, they're sort of picking up where they left off. I'm sure you could join them if you wanted to, though. Might be fun?"

He stared at Bulma. His mouth fell into a deep frown. He wanted to scream. Vegeta was _his_ brother, not Cabba's.

"Thank you, but I think I'll pass." Tarble said quietly.

Bulma smiled, knowing exactly what Tarble was thinking. Jealousy was becoming a defining feature for Tarble, though he didn't want it to be.

"Well, look…why don't you invite your girlfriend over tonight? We're having a dinner party to celebrate Trunks' big news. It'll be fun. I'd love to meet her, anyway."

"Perhaps…" Tarble grumbled.

Without another word, he grabbed a banana from the basket on the countertop and headed for the front door. He sensed Vegeta and Cabba's overwhelmingly high power levels outside and dreaded passing by them. Vegeta was frequently ambushing Tarble and beating him to a pulp for not keeping a rigorous training schedule.

Sneaking outside onto the porch, he looked to his left and then to his right. He looked up.

They were nowhere to be found.

He kicked off into the air and felt momentary relief. Human school was a high point of his days now, if only to show off his knowledge. Training could wait. He might as well get the high school diploma and live his normal, human life to the fullest.

"Tarble!"

Tarble stopped midair and turned around. A flying fist came out of nowhere. He dodged, but was met with a swift kick to the stomach. He curled into a ball, gasping and feeling like his insides were just flattened.

"Idiot. Never let your guard down." Vegeta growled.

"Tarble! Sorry, I tried to warn you…" Cabba shrugged, flying up behind Vegeta.

"Nonsense. Why must you continue this pathetic little human charade? Going to school like a mere human child…You should be training in times of peace! Don't you want to become a _worthy_ saiyan prince? You finally have the chance to train with a real warrior!"

Tarble's eyes widened. Vegeta never spoke to him directly on such a personal level. Their banter was usually only limited to combat and harsh jokes. Clearly he'd been pushed to the edge by his younger brother's apathy towards life.

"I'm not sure why you are interested in my affairs, brother." Tarble shrugged.

He shrugged and tried to fly past Vegeta, but his angry brother shoved him back.

"Tarble, I'm simply saying that you are no fool. You have great potential but you choose not to utilize it. Our father sent you away and you made the best of it. You should be dead and you are not. Now you choose to waste this extra time that you've been given?"

He crossed his arms in normal Vegeta fashion. His face was cold and frustrated. Cabba cleared his throat and tried to offer a distraction from the tension.

"V-Vegeta, please. Let's just get back to training. Caulifla will expect me home soon." Cabba interrupted awkwardly.

"Silence!" Vegeta snapped.

Tarble sighed. He looked down at the green Earth below him and felt ashamed.

Why _was_ he doing all of this?

Was it for the human friends he'd made? He didn't really care that much about the humans at his expensive private school. He enjoyed their company and liked learning about their way of life, but they weren't _her_. They didn't make him feel the level of comfort he felt with Pan. They didn't know about him or what he'd gone through. No, he was doing this for only one reason.

As he pondered the question at hand, a fond memory popped into his head. He traveled back in time to the vast meadow with the Maple trees where he stargazed with Pan frequently. He'd considered offering Bulma's time chamber to Pan that night, but he still wasn't sure about the whole plan.

The stars twinkling about them were so beautiful. He blinked and smiled, watching a tiny plane fly across the dark sky. Pan sighed loudly, so he rolled over to face her.

"What's the matter?" Tarble asked quietly.

She inhaled loudly in a dramatic fashion. He knew what was coming. When she spoke to him in her sweet, desperate voice, it was _always_ very clearly about love. She wanted desperately for Trunks to love her. She spoke of growing up so that she could do all of the things that human adults got to do. He listened quietly. She was naïve, that much was certain, but it was somewhat refreshing. She was unburdened by the horrible terrors that Tarble had grown up seeing. Thank goodness she never had to see the ruthless nature of the original saiyans on planet Vegeta. If only he could erase those memories for himself.

Even back then, Tarble was jealous. The life that Vegeta got to live was full of adventure, but the calm and peaceful life he coveted and loved on Earth now was Tarble's greatest desire. He wanted the friends, the dates, a normal marriage and especially children. It was all too surreal to even imagine until he realized that he was falling in love with a raven-haired, saiyan girl instead of a foreign lifeform like Gure. With Pan in his life, he could achieve anything and maybe even have a family of his own one day.

He snapped out of his deep thoughts. Cabba was staring at him anxiously, darting his eyes between Vegeta and Tarble. Vegeta's face was growing more impatient by the second. Tarble decided to answer Vegeta's question honestly, regardless of the response from his self-righteous brother.

"I want to live a normal, human life here on Earth. I look up to you, brother…I envy the family that you have and the life that you have built here. You don't know how many years I spent wondering where you were…you don't know how alone I was…You don't know the feeling of being without any species similar to your own!"

He felt emotions he'd long forgotten bubbling up from his heart. He knew the tears would begin to flow soon, but he just couldn't stop himself.

"You don't know what it's like to not only lose the love of a woman once, but twice! Why _can't_ you understand my pain, brother? Why must you pester me and pester me…begging me to…to _indulge_ in your violence? Can you not see how it reminds me of her? Can you not see that I loved her with my entire heart? No, you are too blinded by training to see what is right in front of your eyes!"

Vegeta was silent. His eyes grew large and his mouth fell open. He'd never seen Tarble so utterly upset. Tarble knew that Vegeta asking him to stay on Earth with him and live in his home was just to relieve his guilt for abandoning him as a child. Vegeta could never understand what Tarble was feeling.

"T-Tarble…I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you've had to go through." Cabba said softly, looking away.

Tarble snapped his eyes towards Cabba and frowned. Vegeta scoffed.

"P-Pull yourself together! I do not offer comfort, only facts."

Tarble blinked a few times and felt his anger absolutely boiling. Why would he ever think that Vegeta could feel a shred of empathy towards his own brother?

"You…You're unbelievable, Vegeta. You'd rather pretend that this saiyan is me…you'd rather pretend that you have a younger brother worthy of the saiyan title of prince. You'd rather forget that I ever existed! I…I _despise_ you!"

Tarble turned away and blasted in the other direction. Vegeta didn't follow this time. He felt glad to be alone again. It was the only feeling he could truly appreciate these days. Being alone offered comfort because no one could hurt him if no one was there.

He landed near the school and walked along the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets. The wind that whipped across his face on the way dried his tears, but it couldn't wipe away the depressed expression on his face. He felt as though a little, black cloud was following him and raining on his head as he approached the entrance of the school. How pathetic, he thought. He really was such a _pathetic_ excuse for royalty.

"Tarble!" He heard a voice call from behind him.

Annoyed, he turned around quickly. A young, blonde girl ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. He faked a weak smile and greeted her as kindly as he could muster.

"What's wrong? You're gloomier than normal!" She chirped happily.

He couldn't stand the girl, but he really had no choice. She invited him to a dance a month earlier and out of curiosity, he agreed to attend. Ever since that night, Rin just couldn't leave him alone. She blew up his phone with text messages, followed him around between classes, and constantly attempted to kiss him. It was strange, but without knowledge of normal, human behavior, he thought her as normal as the rest of the teen girls at school. Perhaps this was how humans started every relationship. Besides, he'd never _actually_ had a relationship with Pan, so how could he know? So he continued to allow Rin to share her affections with him, though he wouldn't kiss her. It felt wrong to him, like he was betraying the woman who continued to hold his heart. It wasn't in his nature to betray those he loved.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Rin looked down and tried to reach for it, but he grabbed it and held her at bay while he read the message. Vegeta must have told Bulma what he'd said.

"Hey Tarble! Please bring a date with you to dinner tonight. There will be plenty of wine and you can have a good night! We love you!"

He laughed as he read silently. They _"loved_" him? Perhaps his newly teen-aged hormones were coming on strong today, but he highly doubted that Vegeta knew what loving his brother actually felt like.

"Oh! A dinner party? Am _I_ the date?" Rin squealed over his shoulder, staring at his phone and leaning forward.

He peered over his shoulder at her and noticed that she was bearing her hefty cleavage. He gasped and nearly dropped his phone before spinning around to face her eye-to-eye.

"Um…my…my nephew is proposing to his girlfriend tonight at my sister-in-law's house."

"Nephew? Sister-in-law? But you're so young!" Rin gasped.

Tarble thought quickly on his feet, "My brother is much older."

He felt a cold sweat creep in as he lied to Rin. He really valued honesty, but his secret identity was more important to maintain this new life. People had to believe that he was a seventeen year old boy in his third year of high school, even if he didn't act like it.

"Anyway…would you like to accompany me tonight?" He cringed.

The last person he wanted hanging on him all night was Rin, but she was the only girl he felt comfortable enough to at least speak with on such a private level. Most other girls made him too nervous, simply on the account that his looks were apparently better than most boys his age. It was difficult to speak to girls without them throwing their best assets in his direct eyesight. It made the other male students quite uncomfortable, which was the last thing he wanted to do. One swing at him from a jealous, popular boy could expose Tarble for the powerful saiyan that he was. At least it wasn't the same school that Pan had attended. Those students might recognize him from the momentary blow up he had defending Pan's honor the year before.

That night, Tarble answered the door to a giddy, overly-made-up Rin. She bounced up and down and lunged forward, clinging to his neck like she always did. He liked the smell of her perfume, but pulled her away quickly in fear of Vegeta seeing him. With his outburst this morning, the last thing he needed was Vegeta to think he was only lying for attention. He didn't need it to look like he'd moved on with this annoying girl.

Of course, behind him came Cabba with his wife. Caulifla was a beautiful saiyan woman, but he found it so odd that they two of them were so lanky. The universal differences they'd grown up under had to be the cause. Cabba's strength practically rivaled Vegeta's, yet he had almost no visible muscles.

"Hey bro, what's shakin?" Caulifla smirked, resting an arm on top of Tarble's head.

Tarble grumbled. Caulifla and Cabba's son was in a little baby carrier on her chest facing towards Tarble. He reached out his little hands and squealed happily.

"Aw! A baby! How cute!" Rin screeched, poking baby Kole on the cheek.

"He had a seizure this morning…we are a little nervous even bringing him out tonight." Cabba admitted casually, looking at Tarble with anxious eyes.

"A seizure?" Rin asked, letting Kole hold her finger.

"Yes. He's epileptic. They happen from time to time. It's okay." Cabba smiled, "Is this your girlfriend, Tarble?"

Tarble turned bright red and stomping inside, ignoring the question. He entered the dining room and looked around at everyone, nodding and trying to forget everything bothering him at that moment.

He took a seat at the table after pulling out a chair for Rin while she trailed behind him. He sat down beside Marron and rested his elbows on the table, covering his tired face. Marron greeted Rin and talked happily with the girl while Trunks continued to drown himself in wine. Tarble felt slightly uncomfortable watching his nephew get wasted. It was unlike him to show such a lack of self control. Perhaps work was more pressing than usual or maybe he was just nervous about the big question he was going to be asking. Regardless, Tarble did find comfort focusing on anything but Rin.

A short while later, Trunks stood up and made a small speech about his engagement to Marron. The entire table showed a varied response to it. He glanced around at the difference reactions and felt a bubble of joy rising up into his chest for the first time in months.

Was he _actually_ happy about this?

It did mean that if Pan ever came back, he'd be off the table. That was definitely something to celebrate.

He decided to allow himself the happiness and turned to his nephew, but Rin laid her head on his shoulder and proclaimed she was overjoyed at the good news. He rolled his eyes and shrunk down into his chair. How could a girl who just met his family feel happy about a marriage without any knowledge of the context? If she only knew what Marron had done in the past. Strange humans, he thought.

Tarble heard the doorbell ring out and watched lazily as Bra got up to answer it. Everyone was chattering so loudly that he couldn't hear who was there. The door slammed shut rather quickly. He felt a foreign power level enter the house, as did the other saiyans at the table.

Everyone looked up at the large doorway and into the foyer where a beautiful woman stood beside Bra. She dropped several duffle bags loudly onto the floor and flipped her choppy bangs from her face.

_Tarble stopped breathing_.

Her long, black hair was pulled into a high ponytail. She was wearing heavy, dark makeup that made her look ever so dangerous. Her black tshirt was too large for her, but it was bunched up into a rubber band near her hip. Her tight pants sagged slightly at her waist, revealing her chiseled, pale midriff. Her black combat boots looked heavy on her feet. Silver studs decorated the bands hanging from the sides.

_"Wow…"_ Tarble whispered to himself.

The woman crossed her arms, standing confidently. He noticed a small tattoo on her right arm that read "hope" in cursive. She also had several piercings in her ears and on stud that shined on her nostril. He watched her inhale before finally speaking to everyone.

"Long time, no see…What the _hell_ have I missed?"

"Pan!"

The entire table lurched forward. Everyone knocked their chairs backwards and got up to greet her. The only ones who didn't approach her were Vegeta, who stayed seated and began eating like nothing happened, Piccolo, who followed Vegeta's lead, and the newly-engaged couple.

He turned his head slightly and saw Trunks, still standing with a glass in his hand, staring ahead. He turned white and couldn't move nor speak. Marron, too, was pale and looked as though she'd be sick. He idly wondered if Trunks was ever truly honest with Marron about kissing Pan.

Anxiously, Tarble turned his head back towards Pan. Her black eyes were locked forward on Trunks.

_"No…"_ Tarble sighed softly.

He felt instant hurt in his heart. Instead of first looking to him, she'd sought out Trunks. Of course. This day continued to improve by the second, he thought sarcastically. He made the quick decision that he couldn't just sit there and pretend like it was okay. It was too much for him in one day. The little, dark cloud above him began to thunder angrily. He felt like he might explode.

Tarble aggressively stood up and knocked his chair backwards, letting it fall to the ground. Pan's eyes darted to his. He looked at her for a moment and felt his delicate heart burning inside of his chest. The bubble of joy from Trunks' proposal had turned to a choking urge to cry yet again. He couldn't allow this to happen in front of his family, especially in front of Pan.

He pushed the table away from him forcefully, causing Vegeta to drop mashed potatoes on his lap and growl loudly. Tarble ignored him and stormed into the kitchen and out the back doorway. He was headed for the back door of the house, but he stopped suddenly and waited.

Timidly, he looked over his shoulder. Maybe she would follow him? Instead, he overheard Rin boldly ask Marron about the situation.

"What the hell…what's going _on?_ Who's that girl?" Rin asked with her mouth full.

Tarble peeked around the corner, just far enough to see Marron's reaction.

Marron sighed loudly and looked up at her still-standing fiancé. She rubbed her forehead with a frown and took a deep breath in before returning her gaze to Rin.

"That girl…is trouble waiting to happen."


	6. Chapter 6

Tarble stormed outside and fell to his knees in the cool grass. He grabbed his chest and let the tears flow. He cried hard, not really understanding why.

Why the _hell_ was he so emotional lately?

His ever looming dark cloud burst into a full-on thunderstorm with violent lightning. He drilled his fists into the ground and continued to sob in frustration. Her beautiful, pale face faded in and out of his mind and claimed his heart as though she'd never left. Her voice continued to bounce around in his head like a large bell that had been struck in a very small space. He'd been waiting for this moment for so long, yet he didn't expect to feel so upset. He was angry, sad, devastated and relieved all in one package.

He tried to think of other things, but his mind continued racing back to her. He realized that he'd abandoned his annoying yet eager date at the table without an explanation. He wondered if she might've just left.

_He didn't care. _

He pictured Trunks' face; pale white and scared at the sight of the one and only Pan. There was no possible way that Pan could ever be his now that he'd committed to Marron, so why _did_ he care? Tarble even heard Bra talking to Videl the other night about overhearing Trunks and Marron's passionate love-making through her ceiling, so Trunks had most likely mated with her. Why was he so stricken by her return? _Did_ he love Pan at some point? There was no conceivable way that those feelings were still there after all this time with another woman.

But, at least Trunks had a lover. _His_ lover, if they did in fact mate. Marron had served plenty of time for her crimes against their family already and deserved to be happy. Why couldn't Trunks just leave Pan alone and pretend he was happy to see an old friend? Why did he have to further complicate an already absurd situation?

Tarble had spent the last year of his life wasting away, crumbling into a sad shadow of the man he'd once been. Pan tore from him what he'd held sacred for years. Even Gure didn't receive the love that he offered up on a silver platter to Pan. His repayment was only to have it all tossed back in his face when he overheard the conversation in Trunks' hospital room.

In reality, he shouldn't feel happy that she was home. Anger, hatred, frustration and sadness should be the _only_ feelings seeing Pan's face could bring. He pounded his fists at the grass again and again, trying his hardest to push the feelings away while shaking the Earth and making a real mess of the landscaping.

His efforts were useless.

After some time, his crying slowed. He began to breathe normally again and stopped literally digging himself into a hole. He felt his frown twisting slowly into a small smile. He began to laugh while his mind traveled to a happier time filled with less drama. He sat up and looked up at the night sky. It was filled with brightly shining stars and dim planets visible from millions of light-years away. He felt a strange feeling from deep within him coming to the surface like a flood of water to put out a raging fire. His burning need to feel angry was evaporating into smoke and being replaced with joy. He felt himself smiling more and more widely as he watched the sky above. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks, but they were no longer white-hot, angry tears. He fell backwards onto the grass and continued to stare up at the stars, making shapes in his mind as he connected the stars. It was so calming, he thought, to lay here and stare up at the empty solar system Earth dwelled in. It was the only thing that used to calm _her_ down when she came to him for counsel.

_Pan_.

His anger seemed to vanish when her smile lit up his world. Any pain or fear he felt about his new life always became joy with her. What they shared was so much more than any mere feeling or crush. He loved that woman. He didn't care if she was tattooed and dressed like a rocker-chick now. He didn't care if her nose was pierced or that her boots could probably impale someone with one kick. _No_, he thought, he _had_ to win her back. This was his chance. Forget Trunks and forget anyone else who would stand in their way. He could do this.

He began to doze slightly, lost in his thoughts and smiling like an idiot. He continued to stare upwards while his vision went fuzzy and became clear many times over. He must have over loaded his emotions for one night.

He closed his eyes peacefully. That delicious feeling of needing to sleep crept into his eye sockets, begging for slumber. He drifted in and out, searching his mind for memories of her face. In between sleepy fights with his eyelids, he opened his eyes slightly and saw the most beautiful sight. He wondered when this memory of Pan could be from. Her face looked so different and pointed. He began trying to recall how much wine he'd been drinking.

"Um…"

He heard a small snicker from above him. His eyes flew open.

_"Pan?"_

He shot upwards and back towards the house. She was standing above him staring down at the mess of grass and dirt he'd thrown about during his emotional fit. She was laughing.

_Why? How could she be laughing at a time like this?_

"I missed you, Tarble."

She missed him? _Really?_ Did she _miss_ him when she never even tried to text or call? Did she _miss_ him when she listened to his desperate voicemails that begged for her return?

"You _did?"_ Tarble choked.

He wanted to shove his foot in his mouth. _Don't scare her away_, he thought. Don't give her another reason to storm off and leave forever.

"I did. Every single day."

Tarble's mouth hung open idly and his expression gave away his disbelief. Pan sighed.

"I mean…I got your messages. It was sweet of you to care where I was. I honestly would have never thought of myself again if I were you. I'm one hell of a bitch for all that I put you through."

He rose to his feet clumsily. The wine he'd been drinking both before and at dinner was starting to turn on him. He could no longer refrain from speaking his mind.

"Y-You must understand how…confused I am by your return. I thought that you'd never walk through that doorway again. I thought you were…_gone."_

Pan smiled and approached him, completely aloof. She no longer seemed emotional and sad, nor shy in the slightest. Perhaps the time away did her well.

"Tarble, I understand how you feel one hundred percent. I think your girlfriend doesn't, though. She's sitting in there babbling to Marron like a crazy person…way to pick 'em."

Tarble's face turned a new shade of violent red. He shook his head.

"She is most certainly _not_ my girlfriend!"

Pan laughed again and placed her hand on his arm.

"I know."

She stared at him tenderly. He lost himself in her eyes. Being that he was so short, they stood at eyelevel. He wanted to kiss her, just like he had before she left, but his head was screaming to hold off. If he was going to win her back, he shouldn't rush things. He should wait for her to make a move this time. He should exert his extremely polished and disciplined self-control. He _was_ a saiyan prince, after all. Manners came naturally.

_Right? __  
_  
"We should get back inside. It's cold and I think everyone might worry that we're having it out back here…" Pan suggested.

Tarble laughed awkwardly and began stuttering like a fool. He scratched the back of his head and motioned for her to walk ahead of him. He rushed towards the door and held it open, avoiding eye contact. The urge to kiss her would surely come again, so it was best that he avoid that until he was sure that she wanted him.

Pan started to follow him, but she stopped abruptly and turned around to look at the area Tarble had torn apart in anger. She giggled and looked back at him, amused.

"By the way…the _hell_ did you do to the grass?"

"Never mind that…I'll fix it. But…let's uh…let's not tell Bulma, please."

Pan laughed and headed inside past him. He couldn't help himself. He walked behind her and allowed his eyes to travel down her toned and fit body shape. He watched her knotted t-shirt tug on her waist as she walked. With each step, it pulled ever so slightly tight enough to outline her tiny waist with just enough left to the imagination. He continued eyeing her down to her behind. Her jeans were tight on her legs but loose on her backside, making it difficult to really see anything. However, as she walked up the small set of steps leading into the house, her lacey, black thong peeked ever-so-slightly above her jeans. He gasped and averted his eyes to the ceiling. To his horror, Pan turned around to look at him.

"Hey…What are you looking at?" Pan purred with a devious smile.

He cleared his throat and met her eyes nervously.

"Um…nothing! You just look so different…you're so...pardon me. You look absolutely _beautiful_, Pan."

There is was. His honest and polite charm that seemed to captivate her a year ago, or at least, he thought that it did. Shockingly, Pan winked at him and turned back around.

"Keep looking…I don't mind…"

Tarble nearly fainted. He not only felt drunk from alcohol, but drunk from this love that had completely taken over his heart. 

Following that evening, several days went by without another visit from Pan. Tarble busied himself with school and became noticeably more cheerful around his peers and family. Even if she hadn't called him or visited him, she _was_ back. Even if she hadn't seen Tarble, he knew that she hadn't been to see Trunks, either.

It was a huge convenience that a new Capsule Corp project between Bulma and Trunks was already scheduled. Trunks had basically moved into his old bedroom for a few months, keeping Marron close by at all times. Tarble could keep an eye on him to make sure he wasn't sneaking off to see Pan behind his betrothed's back.

Finally, just as Trunks and Bulma wrapped up their latest project, Goten and Bra's wedding day had arrived.

Valentine's Day, _how cliché_, Tarble mused.

He'd never heard of such holidays before living on Earth, but he'd researched them all thoroughly. He knew that today was the day dedicated to proving your love to that special someone. He planned to show her at the wedding through some grand gesture that he wanted her back in his life.

That morning, Vegeta entered Tarble's bedroom and tossed a new tuxedo onto his bed. He looked nervous. Tarble smiled warmly at his brother and took out his earbuds.

"Did you forget the courtesy of knocking before entering, Vegeta?"

Vegeta scoffed and frowned. "Tch. You wouldn't have heard me knocking anyway with those things in your ears…just be dressed and ready to go in ten minutes."

Tarble nodded. He found it funny when Vegeta treated him like a son instead of a brother. It must be easy to do considering Tarble's young appearance and emotional turmoil. Besides, they never got to grow up together and bond as brothers anyway.

Leaning up to get off of his bed, he jumped when his phone vibrated against his leg. He sighed. He assumed it was probably Rin texting again. He felt badly that she continued to think that he was interested in her, but he had no clue how to let her down without hurting her feelings. He'd tried ignoring her texts, but it only seemed to increase her interest in him when they returned to school the next day. He tried avoiding her at school altogether, but she never failed to find him between classes and hang on him regardless.

_If only Pan wanted to hang on him…_

He slowly picked up the phone and lit up the screen to answer her. To his surprise, it was a number that he didn't recognize. He slid a curious finger across the screen to unlock it and read the text.

"Hey…have a date for the wedding today? I'd love to talk when you have a chance. Sorry I've been MIA these past few weeks. I just got a new phone. Mine was lost somewhere in France a few months ago. Let me know if I should expect an escort to this thing from you...-Pan"

His heart blew up and stuck in his throat like an inflatable pool toy. He read the text over and over and over until he memorized the words. She _hadn't_ completely forgotten him! She just didn't have a cell phone. She probably needed to spend all of her time catching up with her family, anyway. How could he be so selfish to think she was avoiding him?

He fumbled the phone between his hands and eagerly responded.

"I would be honored to be your date for the occasion. Shall I pick you up?"

He hit send as fast as he could. He felt his breathing getting heavy. He had to get dressed, he thought. He had to look his best. Before he could get off of the bed, the phone buzzed again.

"I'll meet you there. I'm riding in a limo with my parents. They're GLUED to me at the moment. Meet me in the lobby of the church."

He levitated off of the bed in happiness. He responded with a simple smiley face in an effort to tone down his extreme excitement, but he could barely contain himself.

He tore off his pajamas and stepped into his crisp, new tuxedo. He fastened the shirt and slipped on his elegant, red vest and tie carefully. The black jacket fit perfectly over his ensemble. He stared into his vanity mirror at his hair and wished that he could style it even just a little differently. Saiyan hair would not budge unless he cut it, but that was out of the question.

He bounded down the stairs full of energy and greeted Bulma with a cheerful hug.

"Good morning?" Bulma giggled.

"Indeed!" Tarble answered.

He danced his way into the kitchen and grabbed an apple for his breakfast. Sleeping in was probably not the best idea for the day, but he was definitely full of energy.

Two limos had already pulled up to the front of the Brief house. He assumed that Pan must be in the white limo because Bulma headed in that direction with Marron. The men all loaded into the black limo in front. He wondered where Bra might be briefly before realizing who he was thinking about. His niece was probably the first one there when the church opened to make sure all the arrangements were perfect. Besides, she could never risk Goten seeing her before the ceremony in her dress. She was certainly traditionally minded in regards to the wedding. He'd heard her go over it in deep detail almost daily.

When they arrived at the church, Tarble couldn't believe how beautiful the building was. It was also utterly humungous. It was a glorious cathedral adorned with the most intricate of details. Its stone walls looked like a royal fortress on the outside, but when they got inside it felt nothing but warm and inviting. He looked up and saw that the ceilings were painted with angels and saints. Candles lined every wall. Then he walked into the sanctuary.

A full pipe organ towered above an altar decorated with red and pink flowers. Each pew had a bouquet of roses in pink and red that would be any florist's nightmare to prepare. The red runway-style carpet leading to the altar had small designs in it that made it look like Chinese silk. Upon closer inspection, the designs were tiny dragons and clouds. Tarble smiled as he took in all of the details. Bra had truly outdone herself.

"Table!" He heard a little voice yell from behind him.

Lace was trotting towards him in a beautiful, pink dress with a red sash tying her tiny braid in place. She pointed at him and giggled. Chichi, holding onto her hand as best she could, laughed and waved politely while Goku and Gohan were trying their best to calm down Cabba's angry son, Kole. Videl sat down in a chair near the door with Caulifla, who was pale and disheveled, but they both looked beautiful in their pink bridesmaids dresses. It was clear that the Son household didn't get much sleep last night.

Tarble walked over to them casually and greeted everyone. He bent down to Lace and poked her cheek. Her sweet, blue eyes met his with excitement. The pink rings around her pupils shined brightly against the church lighting.

"You look so nice today, Lace." Tarble said politely.

"Table! Table!" Lace squealed.

Lace reached down and took off her shoe. She acted as though she would hand it to Tarble, but then instead threw it to the other side of the room with force and laughed.

"Woah! What an arm!" Tarble exclaimed.

"Lace! You're going to break a window! She's done this at least five times already today…" Chichi growled, shaking a stern finger at her granddaughter.

"It's okay, Chichi. I'll get it. Don't worry." Tarble smiled.

He ran to the other side of the room but couldn't find where it landed. He looked around the floor and soon considered that perhaps it had traveled down the hallway towards the bathrooms. He looked along the edges, avoiding all of the people flooding the lobby floor and chattering away about their important statuses and large projects. What an impressively vein crowd, he thought briefly. Finally, he saw it. The shoe was stuck behind a table on the floor just ahead. He crouched down to reach it, but another hand appeared and snatched it up from him.

"Hey!" He snapped, banging his head on the underside of the table, "Ouch…"

"Hey yourself, klutz."

He rubbed his head. When he opened his eyes, he saw black stilettos from under the table. He slowly drew his eyes up two pale, toned legs. A fitted black dress and black jewelry adorned the body of a woman he'd never seen looking quite so violently gorgeous.

"Oh…" He gasped.

Pan's hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Her blue eye shadow was heavy on her lids and pointed at each end, where it met silver shadow that shined brightly along the rim of her eyes. It was an intoxicating look that he'd expect to see in a magazine, not in person.

"He…Hey, P-Pan. _Wow_."

Pan laughed. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, but instead of reserving her feelings or coming off as shy like she used to, she seemed quite pleased with his reaction and held out her hand. She helped him off of the floor and stood still for a moment to gaze into his love-struck eyes. She was taller than him by an inch or two now with the heels on, but he didn't care. That urge to lunge forward and kiss her was back and at full force, but he continued to insist that he must stick with his original plan. No surprises.

"Would you uh…can you…well, shall we find a seat?"

Pan cocked her head to the side, looking at the obvious color-coordination with the wedding décor and Tarble's tuxedo.

"Aren't you a groomsman?"

Tarble frowned and looked down at his tie.

"Oh! Right! Right…I uh…I forgot. Well, I'll escort you to a seat, then…"

He bent his arm at the elbow and offered it to her sweetly. She flung her arm through his and marched forward confidently. He couldn't get enough of this new attitude.

After returning Lace's shoe to Chichi, he walked into the sanctuary with Pan at his side. The crowd was talking loudly. Even to a foreigner who'd never been to a church before, it seemed impolite to Tarble. The church was too sacred a place to be so loud, but he again reminded himself that the people here probably were more interested in a business deal than the actual wedding.

They walked towards the groom's side and sat down in a pew near the front. Pan looked around and laughed as mother and father stood with Caulifla, trying desperately to get Kole to stop screaming before they had to stand up at the front for the ceremony. Chichi was in front of them, already crying about giving away her youngest son into Goku's arm. Goku seemed unaware, but happy to be there and looking around at the scenery.

Tarble peered over to the bride's side and saw a very different scene. The business folk were easy to spot as they laughed and carried on with those around them in an exclusive fashion. He noticed Mikio in a far corner looking uncomfortable. Mikio had since made up with Goten and Bra and picked up where their friendship left off, but he apparently suffered from PTSD just as intense as Marron's according to Goten. Tarble knew the only reason Goten asked him to be a groomsmen was because Mikio refused.

"I've got to join the wedding party now…" Tarble said quietly to Pan. "Can I find you after?"

Pan blushed and smirked, "Promise me a dance? We'll talk then."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek softly. He felt his heart skip several beats. Her smiling face before him again like nothing had ever happened made him melt inside. This day might be Goten and Bra's day, but Tarble felt happier than he'd felt in his entire life to have Pan back.

Sometime later, the ceremony began with Goten standing up at the altar confidently. He looked on as his groomsmen made their way up the aisle, each with a bridesmaid in hand. Tarble was paired with Bra's friend Sakura, the twin sister of Bra's maid of honor, Asuna.

While he walked awkwardly forward, he caught sight of a woman he recognized from photos as Bulma's sister, Tights. She was in town for the event even though she literally never visited. It was a strange dynamic between Tights and the family, but Bulma seemed happy to see her sister again after many, many years apart. She was standing beside a little alien-looking man in a suit. Tarble recalled his name being Jaco. He was in a lot of old pictures with Tights and Bulma, too.

When they began to reach the alter, Tarble saw Trunks wink at Goten and pat his back when he stood behind him proudly. Asuna shot him a look to remind him about pictures being taken. Sakura, holding onto Tarble's arm, sighed and rolled her eyes. Asuna was the one keeping everyone in line according to Cabba, so her sister must've grown tired of her already for the day.

Finally, they were all perfectly aligned in front of the massive crowd. The pipe organ rang out with a majestic arrangement of the bridal march. The doors flew open and Bra burst onto the red carpet with her father at her side. Her dress was a huge, puffy gown with layers that dragged on for ages. She could not have found a more convincing princess dress.

Atop her head was a tiara, clearly boasting real diamonds. It shined brightly and Tarble recognized the symbol at the center instantly; the tiara bore the powerful symbol of King Vegeta. Tarble suddenly felt a rush of pride fill him up to the brim. Leave it to Vegeta to continue his family's legacy with such pride and grace. Of course, Cabba also seemed to show a bit of pride when he noticed it as well.

Ugh, _stop_, Tarble thought jealously.

When they reached the front of the church, Vegeta kissed Bra's forehead and lingered for a moment before giving her hand reluctantly to Goten. Vegeta gave him a warning glare before joining a crying Bulma holding Lace in the first pew. Vegeta was blushing and looked very different from his normal demeanor. It was as though he wanted to show some emotions, but there was no possible way for him to ever allow himself such a defeat of personal standards. Tarble smirked.

_Typical saiyan_, he thought.

Goten and Bra exchanged traditional vows and when the priest announced for Goten to kiss his bride, he spun her around and bent her over backwards before kissing her and embracing her tightly. The crowd cheered and stood with their applause. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Tarble felt overjoyed to be a part of it. He looked out into the crowd and locked eyes with Pan. For the first time in a long time, even with Trunks only inches from him, Pan looked at him instead of his nephew turned rival.

He smiled wider than he had in months. His heart fluttered. Pan winked.

_Easy. Calm down, Tarble_, he told himself.

After the ceremony and a wild ride in a fancy, limo bus with strobe lights and two stripper poles inside, they arrived at the most expensive and fancy hotel in the heart of West City for the reception. Tarble had already downed two glasses of wine and three shots in the limo bus with the wedding party by the time they arrived. He'd mistakenly spilled all of his feelings out to Cabba on the ride over as well, who wasn't sure what to do with the information.

"So…you're telling me that you actually kissed her? _Wow_…little Pan's first kiss was with _you?_ Weird." Cabba gasped, taking a sip from the flask Caulifa gave to him before the wedding, "So…are you gonna do it again?"

"It's certainly my intention to, yes." Tarble said, pointing his finger drunkenly at Cabba's face.

Cabba laughed and clapped his hands together.

"I was _so_ scared the first time Caulifla kissed me…then again, she was drunker than you are right now! Maybe you _did_ need some liquid courage…ah, the memories…"

Tarble frowned, "I don't _need_ it. I _want_ it. Besides, I'm a grown man. I can drink when I want to!"

Cabba laughed hysterically, "_Okay_, Tarble."

When the bus lurched to a stop in front of the hotel, Tarble tumbled down the stairs behind Cabba and followed the others inside. After the grand entrance from the wedding party, they all sat at a long table draped in white at the front of the ballroom. The toasts were relatively quick from Trunks and from Bra's maid of honor, Asuna. Trunks told some jokes about worrying Goten would never grow up and Bra's friend cried happily while she congratulated the couple. Tarble wanted to hit a fast forward button. He could see Pan sitting near him. She was crossed-legged at the table, slouching slightly in her chair. He couldn't get enough of the sight of her legs dressed in the heels she swore she'd never wear. It was both mind-boggling and sexy as hell.

When the music started up and people began to get food and dance casually, he knew that this was his chance. The dancefloor was crowded right now, so less attention would be on him. He escaped the bridal party table and approached Pan confidently.

"Hello, gorgeous. May I have this dance?"

Pan smirked and took his hand willingly.

"I can't really dance, though." She admitted.

"Not a problem."

He spun her around and placed one arm at her waist. He held her close and intertwined his fingers with hers as he held one hand out to the side. Her touch was warm and familiar, igniting every nerve ending in his body like a wildfire. He had to keep calm.

"Wow, you know what you're doing!" Pan laughed.

"We had dancing on my planet, too, you know. The music is so much easier to dance to here, though."

She smiled, but quickly turned serious. She glanced up at him delicately and sighed.

"So…about my leaving. I know you're probably beyond pissed. But you gotta understand…I didn't wanna hurt you. It was just so hard…and then when I'd finally gotten up the nerve to call you and talk about it, I lost my damn phone. I did get your voicemails. I did get your texts…I wanted to respond, but what the hell was I supposed to say, you know? I was so immature and stupid…I promise that I've changed. I know myself now. I _know_ what I want."

He felt a dangerous pang in his gut at the word "want". Did she want _him?_ More importantly, did she want him like he wanted her?

"I expected you to hate me, ya know. I expected to be totally alone when I got back." Pan sighed quietly.

Tarble pressed his cheek against hers and swayed slowly back and forth.

"You could _never_ be alone. Not truly. I never left."

Pan leaned into him and squeezed his hand, "I know…"

They danced well into the night and the party only got crazier. The music sped up and Pan's shoes came off. The open bar beckoned to them, shot after shot. Goten and Bra proved to be a very fun bride and groom as they constantly encouraged their wedding guests to dance and party. Tarble was having the time of his life.

Then he noticed something…odd.

He saw Marron at a table all by herself. She was playing on her phone quietly and looked miserable.

_Where was Trunks? _

He scanned the room. He didn't have to look far to find his drunken nephew. Trunks was hunkered over at the bar with a beer in hand. He seemed to be chatting up the bartender, who smiled awkwardly and continued handing over more alcohol. The man looked concerned over Trunks' state, but everyone knew not to question his drinking. He'd become quite sensitive about that over the past few months and it was best to avoid the subject altogether.

Tarble decided it might be best to check on Marron and get Pan a drink, considering it'd been a while. Marron was going to be his family soon enough, provided Trunks didn't screw it up again, so he might as well do his part to make her feel included. She just looked so terribly sad. He knew all too well how that felt.

"Pan, I'm going to get you some water. You shouldn't be drinking _just_ vodka, you know!" He joked lightheartedly.

"Okay! I'm going to go outside for some air. I'm burning up in here. I need a cigarette anyway."

She winked at Tarble and headed for a side door away from the dance floor. Tarble wasn't sure what a cigarette was, but assumed it was food. He danced through the crowd happily and grabbed a bottle of water. Just as he turned around to go over and visit with Marron quickly, a dark sensation hit him like a ton of bricks. It was like an internal alarm was going off. He quickly glanced back to the bar by chance and noticed that Trunks was gone. He looked back to Marron, but she was still sitting alone at her table with her phone.

_No._

He tried to rush to the door he'd seen Pan leave from, but the crowd was dancing to a familiar tune and too packed for him to make his way through quickly. He began to panic and frantically squeezed through people. He nudged Goten by accident and knocked him forward into Bra.

"S-sorry!" Tarble said, distracted.

"It's cool…" Goten answered, watching Tarble, "You good?"

Tarble didn't answer. He continued to make his way to the door frantically. He felt the energy rising from the patio and dreaded what he'd find when he opened the doors. He had to know if all that she'd said that day at the wedding was a lie. Was everything between them nothing but a show?

He flung the door open. Everything went blank and his instincts took over. The animal had been released from its very, very overstayed cage. He couldn't feel anything but _hate_.

Trunks and Pan clearly had been arguing. He was red in the face and yelling at her as she cried. He had Pan by the arm and his voice was louder than Tarble ever heard him speak before as he roared all sorts of profanities into her face.

Trunks was _furious._

"You take your hands _off_ of her!" Tarble exclaimed.

He shot forward and punched Trunks in the face without thinking. Trunks flew backwards off of the patio and into midair.

"Tarble!" Goten shouted, running after Tarble from the side door.

Tarble didn't listen. The anger he felt inside was greater than anything he'd ever experienced, even when the saiyan guards captured him and killed Gure. That was helpless anger. That was sadness.

This was rage.

In a split second, he flipped his super saiyan switch and burst into golden flames. Before he knew what was happened, he was hitting Trunks with everything he had. Trunks fought back angrily, also turning super saiyan and drunkenly swinging with heavy fists at his uncle.

"Stay…the hell…away…from…her! Don't…even…look…at her!" Tarble screamed in fits of fury between each hit.

"I don't _want_ her! You can _have_ her! Back the fuck off before I rip your damn head off, crazy bastard!" Trunks bellowed back, clearly the stronger fighter

Pan stood on the balcony of the patio with Goten in shock. Tarble glanced her way, ready to see her horrified face. He knew she'd been ashamed of him, but to his utter surprise, she was smiling. A huge, proud smile was spread across her face. She was…happy?

"What the in the fucking hell is going on here?"

Tarble froze, holding Trunks' punch in his fist. Pan and Goten turned with panic in their eyes.

The newly crowned Bra Son stood in the doorway and stared with fire in her eyes as her uncle and brother attempted to tear out each other's throats.

"Not at _my_ Goddamned wedding, _bitches!_"

Bra climbed up onto the balcony and blasted off into the sky, wedding dress blowing in the wind. Goten and Pan stood dumbfounded as she turned into her unusual purple super saiyan form and grabbed the two men by the backs of their shirts.

"She still has that power? After all this time?" Tarble heard Pan shout to Goten.

"Yeah but it's been getting weaker. She's almost back to normal. I think it'll be gone in a few months…" Goten answered through gritted teeth, "Her temper, though…"

Bra knocked the two together and began lecturing them angrily as they dangled helplessly in her grasp. Trunks looked like he was about to be sick, no doubt from all of the alcohol in his system. Tarble looked up at Pan and, when he caught her eye, smiled triumphantly.

"I don't want to see any more _bullshit_ at _my_ wedding! Do you guys understand me? I will _bury_ you if I see this shit again!" Bra screeched.

The two nodded, both reluctantly. Bra angrily threw them forward before returning to the balcony gracefully herself, all three of them dropping into their normal forms.

"Come on, Goten. We have _dancing_ to do."

She held out her hand and yanked a fired up Goten back inside.

Tarble peeled himself from the hot patio floor. He could see Trunks panting heavily in front of him. He was turning green and looking very woozy. He sat up and wobbled, sitting back onto his butt forcefully. He pointed at Tarble and then quickly to Pan. His eyes narrowed.

"I want you to know…_both_ of you…I'm _done_. GOD, I can't even _look_ at you. Don't worry, Tarble, she's _all_ yours. I only wanted her to understand that I'm fucking finished with her and her fucking shit!"

Trunks hopped up to his feet and brushed off his pants. He turned and stormed back into the party. Tarble coughed slightly and got to his feet quickly. He straightened out his tux and stood up tall, slowly moving his eyes to meet Pan's.

"Listen…I'm not sorry for what I just did. The thought of _any_ man putting his hands on you…I just…I just _snapped_."

He was cut short when Pan lunged forward and latched onto him, squeezing him tightly.

"_Thank you_…for not hating me…"

Tarble embraced her lovingly and kissed her head gently. He stood still for a long while, comforting her and holding her, until he couldn't resist his desperate urge any longer.

He tipped her chin upwards to him tenderly and stared into her big, black eyes. He couldn't fight it. The bond of friendship he'd made with her pulled him to her like an impenetrable magnet.

He leaned forward and stopped just before her lips, waiting for the green light. He had to know that she wanted this, too. If she could only kiss him back, he would love her forever without question.

All could be forgiven with just _one_ kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

Trunks stood in the hallway outside of the main ballroom positively _burning_ with rage. He rubbed his face where Tarble first punched him. His lip was busted. He wiped the little bit of blood dribbling out from his lip away and frowned. He looked down at the blood on his hand.

What in hell was he doing talking to Pan anyway?

He was so terribly drunk that he stumbled right into the wall beside him. He growled and punched straight through the drywall angrily.

"_Dammit!"_

He wanted to rip his tiny uncle to shreds. Maybe that would make him feel better, but not right now. The room was spinning and his stomach was still turning from earlier. He couldn't sit down nor close his eyes without feeling an instant need to throw up. Perhaps he should allow himself to. It was probably the only thing that could offer him _any_ comfort at in in life at the moment.

He pulled his hand out of the wall and took a large sip from the water bottle he'd grabbed on his way out. His hand was shaking and now bleeding just like his lip. He took a large gulp and spilled some of the water on his shirt carelessly.

This was his sister's wedding. He wished he wasn't such a hot mess, but he couldn't help himself. Life had become a huge game and he was right in the middle of it.

_Blackmail._

He never imagined that anyone would have the balls to blackmail the heir to Capsule Corporation. Given that this all happened within the past few weeks, Pan coming back couldn't have been worse timing. He had too much on his mind already to deal with that weird, whiney girl that threw her whole life away for nothing.

He let himself slide down the wall and grunted loudly when he hit the floor. He dropped his head and placed it between his knees as he tried desperately to get a handle on his nausea. What would it do to his family if they found out about the blackmail? What would _Marron_ do? He couldn't lose her now. Not like this. She would surely leave him if Pan told her the truth. It would all be over.

Why couldn't Pan have just stayed wherever she was and never come back to Japan?

Three months prior to Bra and Goten's wedding, Trunks and Marron were closer than ever. He was happy and growing to truly love his life with her. She was actually starting to heal and appeared happy at least. Her night terrors had all but disappeared, though she was still sleep walking into walls occasionally.  
One Friday morning, Trunks left for work with a smile on his face and started his day in a fantastic mood. A torrential downpour was flooding the streets. He enjoyed the crisp smell of wet asphalt that the storm brought, but he couldn't fly to work that day. He decided to take his favorite sports car instead. It seemed the day couldn't get more enjoyable when he sat down on the sleek leather and breathed in the new car smell.

When Trunks arrived at the door to his office, he unlocked it quickly and flicked on the light inside. A little wet from running into the building, he shook out his jacket and hung it on the coat hanger beside his door.

The windows lining the fancy office revealed a gray, sad sky bursting at its seams. He loved storms. He smiled and sat down at his desk. When he opened his computer and logged in, his intercom lit up with a call. He cheerfully hit the respond button.

"Yes, Lydia?" Trunks said in a happy voice.

"Mr. Brief…I know that you just got in, but you have an appointment waiting for you out here."

Trunks panicked and took out his phone. He searched through his calendar quickly and worried he'd forgotten something major.

"Can I have a name?" Trunks answered, slightly annoyed with himself.

"Alaina Chapman, sir."

Trunks struggled to recall a woman named Alaina.

"What's the meeting?" Trunks asked, still searching.

"She says it's classified, sir." Lydia responded.

_Classified?_

The word terrified Trunks. This could potentially be his largest mistake yet. A classified meeting that wasn't even in his calendar on a different day? Bulma would be beyond furious if she found out.

"Send her in." Trunks choked, straightening his tie.

He heard the door open and close, but instead of looking up, he googled her name on his laptop. Perhaps if he knew who she was, he could remember what the meeting was about. This could even be related to their new relationships in America with a name like that.

"Hello, Ms. Chapman…I'm so sorry but I must've misplaced the memo for our meeting today...Would you like to have a seat?" He said in his most professional and courteous voice.

His computer yielded no answers. He slowly looked up, ready to greet his visitor with an apologetic tone, but nearly fainted when his eyes met hers. Her high heeled shoes, tight dress and older features didn't distract from her long, spiraling, platinum blonde hair and piercing hazel eyes. She walked forward confidently and sat in front of him without once breaking from her intense glare.

"You…_you_…" Trunks could barely speak.

"Yes, yes, me. I'm glad to see that you remember me."

"You're the girl from...that party…we…God, that was like, seven years ago? Wow! You look fantastic."

"Yeah…" She answered, rolling her eyes.

He felt his stomach flip several times. She looked wealthy. Perhaps she was involved with another deal here in Japan, then. He had to ask.

"You're here on business? I…guess you've done well for yourself. That's awesome. What can Capsule Corp do for you?"

Alaina leaned back against the chair and crossed her legs. She stared at him closely, looking almost angry in a way. He felt the hair on the back of his neck standing on edge as she began to speak. She had one hell of a demanding quality about her now.

"Here's what I need from you, Trunks. I need one mil. You got that?"

Trunks laughed.

"One million? For which project? That seems awfully low…was the budget short?"

He interlaced his fingers and leaned forward. She looked as though he'd grossly misunderstood her request, which made him even more nervous. She sat up and leaned towards him slowly. Something about her was extremely intimidating.

"No project. I'm not here about your…big, bad corporation. I'm here for a more personal reason. _You_ happen to owe me big time."

Trunks didn't answer. He stared forward waiting for an explanation, but she was holding his gaze. He watched her red lips curl into a vengeful smile. Her too-thin eyebrows looked like tiny arrows pointing to her sly, cat-like eyes as she reached into her purse and pulled something out.

"I want you to take a look at this and tell me if you recognize the person in the picture."

He reached out and took the picture quickly. Was she a detective and looking for someone? He suddenly felt exhilarated, like he was in a movie.

"What did the guy do?" Trunks asked with bright eyes.

"What? Oh, for God's sake just look at the damn picture!" Alaina growled.

Trunks nodded. He placed an open hand over the picture and dragged it towards his seat. His heart pounded heavily against his chest. It felt as though it could burst at any moment. The anxiety was overwhelming.

When the picture reached the end of the table, he scooped it up and flipped it over. His eyes gave it away. Alaina smiled and switched legs under the table.

"This…this is a picture of me, isn't it? Where'd you get this? I…I've never seen this before. My hair is so light…when was this even taken?"

He flipped the picture around and searched for a date absentmindedly.

"That's not you. That's my son, Cody."

"Son…"

Trunks felt a lump in his throat growing by the second. He wanted to blow through the ceiling and fly away. There had to be an explanation other than the one he feared he was about to be told.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes, placing both heels firmly on the ground in front of her chair.

"_Your_ son, asshole."

Trunks' mouth fell open. He searched his brain for the right words, but the denial was too strong. He inhaled and quickly whispered, "_What?_"

Alaina seemed pleased with herself. She pulled out a folder of paperwork from her bag and slapped it on his desk.

"What is all of this?" Trunks gasped.

"Just read it, please. I don't have much time here."

Trunks took the folder and began flipping through it. When he'd seen enough, he dropped the folder with a scoff. He placed his elbows on top of his mahogany desk and hid his face in his palms. He began to visibly shake and felt a sudden urge to burst into tears. There were more emotions running through his head than he'd ever felt in his lifetime.

"You want to explain to me how this happened? What the hell is wrong with my s-I mean…uh…Cody? What's all this treatment he's been getting?"

He dropped his hands from his face and revealed his white complexion. The medical bills were unbelievable. His mouth continued to hang open as he searched for the words to express his current state of mind, but in an instant the answer came to him.

"DNA test. I want a paternity test. Take my blood, my hair…whatever the hell they need for those. I'll do it. There's no way that I have a child…there's no way!"

Alaina sighed.

"I know that you know what's wrong with Cody. I remember…years ago there was this huge tournament out in the desert or something. I was just a little girl…but I remember the footage on the news. The Cell games, they called it."

Trunks shook his head, "Obviously I was just a baby. I wasn't there, either."

Alaina pointed a finger at him, displaying her perfectly manicured nails.

"But you were! You were a…a teenager. Your hair was golden and spikey…"

Trunks felt the pit of his stomach fall out. He realized that she was referring to his future self who fought alongside his father during the Cell games.

"That was my…uncle. Yeah, my mother's brother."

Alaina seemed to buy his excuse, but continued.

"That power…the golden fighter…Cody…he can do that, too. It's what he did when he…"

Trunks held up his hand.

"You don't have to talk about it…I read the file…"

"So you know what's wrong with him?"

"Nothing is wrong with him. It's…in our blood."

Alaina looked as though she was about to start crying.

"He's…some kind of monster…that other family is suing. I have money, but not enough to cover this mess up…the second his face gets in the newspaper, you know what they'll say? Do you know what they'll do to you and your famous company? He's like your little clone. Capsule corp will go down with us for this. You'll be ruined."

Trunks didn't know what else to say to her. Cody _wasn't_ a monster, but a powerful saiyan born with the blood of the royal saiyan line. He couldn't blame him for what he'd done, but at such a young age with no training, it was quite astounding. Vegeta would be very pleased.

As Trunks continued to mull things over in his head, Alaina began to look around his office. She noticed a picture of Trunks and Marron on his desk and smiled. She picked it up and looked at it wistfully.

"You know…When I was trying to decide how to tell you…I found your home address first. That beautiful building is quite impressive. I sat outside for an hour before I changed my mind. I thought you might have another family…some kids, even. Apparently not, but I guess you still have a thing for blondes, huh? I _wonder_ who started that trend…"

Trunks shot up from his seat and slammed his fist down on the table. A crack formed at the middle with a loud snapping noise. Alaina jumped back, startled at his incredible strength and suddenly hot temper, but he'd revealed enough to her to explain Cody's strength.

"Stay. The hell. Away from my home. You got that?" Trunks growled.

"Right, meanwhile I'll just keep pretending that I'm some kind of executive important enough to meet with the great Trunks Brief! How long do you think that would last? Your weirdo secretary was already totally rude to me!"

"You made it work today…you'll make it work again. Never go to my home."

"And if you'd have turned me away? I don't have a backup plan here, Trunks. I…I need your help or our son is going to end up in prison by the time he's sixteen!"

Trunks shook his head and pinched the space between his eyes with frustration.

"You…waited until he was seven years old to tell me about him…you kept my son from me. You disappeared. You think I didn't look for you again? You think I didn't try to find you at every party ever after that night? You were just gone! If I'd known…"

Alaina nodded and blinked rapidly. She sniffled and took a deep breath.

"After I got pregnant, I had to drop out. I moved back to Russia with my family. I was only on a student visa anyway…it's taken me this long to get back to Japan."

Trunks calmed down a bit and took his seat again, though still angry. She seemed honest enough. Her excuse also seemed legit.

"_Okay_…okay I'll help you."

He decided instantly against telling anyone about Cody, especially Marron. The pain it would cause everyone after they'd finally started to heal from Lace's ordeal was too much for him to burden them with. He settled the details with Alaina and gave him what cash he had on him at the moment. She thanked him and left with his phone number, promising she'd call first before another meeting. He wasn't so sure.

That day, he began to drink his problems away.

He started to stay out late at night, sometimes dragging Goten along, and drinking until he passed out. On some particularly bad nights, he'd return home feeling angry and agitated. Though he never lashed out physically at Marron, she began to grow very concerned for his state of mind. He'd never had more than a glass or two at a time at dinners before this sudden change. Now, even dinner dates were embarrassing. He'd get drunk on expensive wine and then pick a fight with the waiter or another man he thought was looking at her. He couldn't help it. How could he trust anyone with wandering eyes?

When he wasn't drinking, his emotions were all over the place. He continued to have a steady sex-drive, craving his nights of passion with Marron perhaps even more so, but he became overly concerned with her birth control. He knew she was getting annoyed with him, but he had to be sure.

One night, Trunks practically ran for the bathroom promptly after a particularly strange romp. Something inside of him had broken. He couldn't put her through this anymore, not with her recovery. He was supposed to be the rock in their relationship. He was supposed to take care of her. What was happening to him?

Marron slowly opened the bathroom door and crept inside, careful to stay silent, but he knew that she was there. Trunks turned to face her from inside of the shower and stared at her through the foggy, glass door. He felt like he was dead inside. He couldn't even cry anymore.

"T-Trunks…what happened?" Marron gasped.

Trunks looked away from her. He couldn't let her see how weak he'd become.

"Trunks, talk to me. I love you. Please, talk to me."

He withdrew even further. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes again.

Marron opened the shower door slowly and slid inside. She walked up to his back and wrapped her pale arms around his muscular body gently. She rested her forehead against his skin and exhaled.

"I'm here, Trunks."

Tears he'd thought to be all dried up streamed down his face. The hot water poured over their naked bodies as Marron continued to hold Trunks with all of her might. He was literally shaking.

"Trunks…" She whispered, full of concern, "I'm here…"

The weeks continued by without any explanation for that night. Trunks withdrew further and further into himself as Marron continued to offer her support in any way that she could. The drinking was only getting worse.

Shockingly, Trunks came home early and sober on night. He could tell by the look on Marron's face that she was confused. He knew it must seem odd, but he couldn't wait any longer. He took her hand and pulled her close to him as they stood in the kitchen of his penthouse. He kissed her, then began his speech.

"I know that things have been…difficult for you lately. I have something going on, but I promise, it has nothing to do with you. I love you. I don't want to bring you down. I know you've probably got all kinds of ideas in your head about what it is that's got me so fucked…I just want to assure you that I love you and only you. It's totally unrelated, okay?"

That night, shortly after his pained declaration of love in the shower, Trunks proposed at Bulma's house. Just when things were looking up for them both, Pan returned that same night. Marron didn't seem particularly jealous, but she did tell Trunks that she was concerned that he would slide backwards. He couldn't waste his time thinking such things, though. She had no idea just how much he had on his mind that had nothing to do with Pan.

One week before Bra's wedding, Trunks was at work going about his daily routine. He got a call from Alaina saying that Cody was with her at a park in the next town over. Cody wanted to see Trunks again. Reluctantly, Trunks snuck out through his office window, careful not to let anyone see him. Unfortunately for Trunks, Pan was on the street near the building walking home from the mall. She saw him take off and wondered where he was going in such a hurry, so she followed him.

When he landed, he checked around for anyone who could have followed him. He couldn't sense any ki levels above the normal human level, so he figured the cost was clear. He shrugged off his anxiety and walked casually towards the playground ahead.

"Daddy!"

Cody ran forward and hugged Trunks' leg before excitedly telling him about his day at his fancy, new private school. Trunks bent down and gave the small, blonde boy a hug and nodded as Cody babbled on.

"Cody…go play for a bit. Mommy's gotta talk to daddy for a minute." Alaina sighed.

When Cody returned to the playground, Trunks heard a noise in the big tree behind them. He spun around quickly, on edge again, but no one was there. Alaina looked at him like he was insane and rolled her eyes.

"Look, I wanted to tell you that the buyout worked. They're dropping the charges against us."

Trunks snickered and put his hands in his pockets.

"I told you that it would. You never listen to me."

"I'm sorry…it's just really hard for us right now…"

"How? I bought you that house, the new car, the new school…I buy you everything that you need…if my fiancée knew about this…"

"Oh, _stop_. I _know_ you have a fiancée, Trunks. You don't have to keep bringing her up like she's some kind of power play! Trust me, I'm _so_ not interested."

"What the hell, Alaina? I wasn't trying to sound like that…look, this isn't gonna work in the long run. It's so hard to keep this a secret…I hate it. I still wonder what you thought was going to happen by tracking me down. Did you think you could just waltz into my life with my son and I'd take you back with open arms?"

The tree behind them rustled again. Trunks turned just in time to see a branch snap in half, dropping Pan onto the ground with a loud thud.

"What the…" Trunks began.

"Is this your fiancée? Oh, my God! She's totally spying on you!" Alain gasped dramatically.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop!" Pan sputtered in a panic.

"Were you _really_ fuckin following me? What is _wrong_ with you?" Trunks' eyes burned angrily.

"I did…I was…just curious. You flew out of your window at work! But, I didn't overhear your conversation with that girl or whatever. Oh…oops…"

Pan pointed slowly towards Alaina, who spun around and walked away. Trunks felt like he was about to lose his mind. Just in time to calm him, the little boy ran up to him with a toy car in hand and yanked on his jacket.

"Daddy…mommy's crying. Is she okay?"

Pan turned ghostly white.

Trunks slowly looked from the boy to her and back again.

"Go and give her a hug. She's okay, bud."

The little boy ran off and Trunks returned his gaze to Pan. She backed away slightly.

"You're…you're _marrying_ Marron. Does she know about this?"

"That's none of your Goddamn business. I don't owe you any explanations! You sure didn't have any for me when you took off!"

Pan shook her head slowly, "So…you haven't told her…"

Trunks didn't answer right away. The silence was tense.

"Listen, you can't say anything. It can't come from you…there's a lot of moving parts here."

Pan cut him off and ran in the opposite direction.

"Okay, then." Trunks sighed.

This was it, he thought. She was going to blow everything he'd tried desperately to cover up for months.

Trunks snapped out of his daze and realized that he was still on the floor of the hotel. He looked down the hall and heard the music pounding through the air from the reception. His stomach had finally settled enough to rejoin. He still felt the sting of anger towards Pan, and he still wasn't convinced that she'd keep her mouth shut, but he hoped that Tarble could keep her busy.

"Trunks!"

The sound of his sister's voice reverberated through his head like he was stuck in a long tunnel.  
"This is my wedding! Hello? You should be out there dancing with me and your fiancée! Are you _sleeping?_ What the hell?"

She stomped her foot and crossed her arms. Her mother's angry face shined through her own. Annoyed, Trunks got up from the floor and stood up to face her. He swayed slightly as he stood but managed not to fall.

"Listen…I don't know _what_ is going on with you, but this is _my_ day! This is not your day. You are not allowed to go around beating up my guests! And what's with sleeping in the hallway? Get your ass in there and act like a normal person!"

Trunks laughed at his sister. He nodded and placed his hand against his forehead before saluting her. She rolled her eyes and stomped back to the party.

He sighed and began walking down the hallway, taking the long way back to enjoy just a few more moments of quiet. He passed by some large windows and paused to look out at the great cityscape surrounding the massive hotel. He felt badly about lying to Marron, but this was for the best. Wasn't it? He struggled with the idea as he stared out into the sky and tried to re-convince himself of the truth. He looked up at the balcony where he'd fought with Tarble and sighed. His uncle was making out with Pan on the balcony edge.

Perhaps this was for the best, he thought. His misery was a fair price to spare Marron the unnecessary pain of dealing with his long-lost love-child. He decided to head back to the party and pretend to be okay. For Marron's sake, he told himself. He had to stop this before he backed himself into a corner that he couldn't escape.


	8. Chapter 8

Bra peeked through the crack of the heavy, wooden doors guarding the church sanctuary. She felt a shiver shoot down her back and stood up straight with a sharp inhale. She was starting to feel very nervous, more nervous than she'd ever felt in her life. Aside from fearing for her daughter's life, that is. However, this was a different kind of nervous. She'd only briefly seen all of the people in attendance, but seeing Goten standing at the altar was the most terrifying sight. It was almost time, she thought. It was almost time to walk down the aisle in front of all of their family and friends to commit her life to the man she loved. Should this be so scary? She began to pace back and forth, holding her hands at her hips and breathing slowly. She closed her eyes and stood in place for a moment to gather herself as she leaned back and looked up at the beautiful, painted ceiling.

Her father was leaning against the opposite wall and watching her intently. He couldn't understand the necessity of weddings, seeing as he and Bulma had never actually had a ceremony, but he supported his daughter regardless. Bra couldn't tell if he was nervous or not, given his expression was the same as it always was.

Her bridesmaids, all in line with their respective groomsmen, scurried over to her tried to fan her for comfort, but Bra laughed at their attempts. If they only knew the whole story of why it took so long to actually _marry_ Goten. If they only knew the trauma she endured not just during the birth of her daughter, but getting Lace back from the very hands of death itself. If they could only understand one part the extreme challenge of raising a baby that was so powerful she could take down an entire city with a single tantrum. They were all just silly humans, she thought as she continued to laugh. They would never understand the pressure of today's events through her tainted, tired eyes.

Her maid of honor was her dear high school friend named Asuna. Asuna was a little older than Bra, but still spent most of her time in school hanging around at the Brief house. She had bright orange hair pulled back into a magnificent updo. Her twin sister, Sakura, was also a bridesmaid. Sakura was an odd friend for Bra considering she was so shy, but she kept Bra and Asuna both grounded to the Earth in a way that family just couldn't. When Bra spent time with the twins, she could forget her power-hungry, saiyan life for a little while and enjoy the casual fun of human existence. It was a great relief to be around them.

The groomsmen stood awkwardly waiting to enter. Trunks dawned a red vest and tie to match Asuna's dress while the rest were dressed in pink accessories. Trunks seemed cool and collected, though Bra knew he had a flask hidden away inside of his expensive, perfectly-tailored tuxedo. He always carried a flask these days. She often saw him sneak sips in between meetings at work when he thought no one was looking. She wondered what was going on with him, but reminded herself that this day was _her_ day. It was not the day to be worrying about her fully-grown brother going through a rough patch. He could take care of himself as far as she was concerned. Besides, if he had some kind of problem, he always had Goten to talk to.

"Bra…you look so beautiful. I'm truly proud to be your uncle on such a special day." Tarble smiled.

Goten and Tarble had become pretty good friends over the past year. She was fairly certain that this only happened because Goten felt so sorry for him, though. Pan leaving tore a deeper gash into Tarble's heart than anything they could have possibly imagined. Goten was too sweet and caring to overlook what his niece had done. Bra smiled, picturing the man she loved being such a good person and helping others.

"Thanks, Tarble!"

She stopped herself from saying uncle before his name. It wasn't really necessary, especially considering how young he appeared. She felt weird saying a formal title before his name when he'd become more of a friend than an uncle anyway.

"The color scheme is…so bright!" Tarble said with a chuckle.

"I think it's a bit too pink. You should've had more _blue!"_ Caulifla commented, returning to Cabba's arm in the lineup.

Bra looked around at the red, pink and purple flowers and décor lining the grand foyer of the church lobby. Every vase to every statue to every doorframe seemed to be adjourned with valentine's day-themed trappings. Even her long veil was trimmed with thin band of red silk around the edge. She smiled and crossed her arms proudly.

"I figured that since it's Valentine's Day, I should go with the idea and keep it festive! Besides, I do love the color red. And pink. Wait…why the hell would I use blue?"

"Don't worry about it…Caulifla has a thing for blue." Cabba laughed, promptly receiving a slap on the arm from Caulifla.

Tarble smiled politely before an usher peeked through the door and waved for them to take their places. Everyone stepped into place frantically and Bra felt the pit of her stomach tighten. She took in another deep breath and turned to her father as she exhaled slowly. She held out her arm for him, but he hesitated. She noticed he was sweating.

Was he actually _nervous_ about this?

He'd spent so much time ignoring her plans and commenting on how lame it was that she really thought he wouldn't have a problem walking her down and giving her away without emotions. As it seemed however, Vegeta was anything but carefree at the moment.

The pipe organ began to reverberate loudly around the sanctuary, bouncing the wedding march across the hall. Trunks and Asuna stood in line in front of Bra. Trunks noticed Bra holding out her arm for Vegeta and scoffed at their father.

"Dad…you have to take her arm and walk her down. C'mon…"

Vegeta blushed and grumbled, looking at the floor.

She watched Tarble walk onto the aisle with Sakura and instantly Goten's family's side caught her eye. She noticed Pan staring from her seat. She watched her stare Tarble down from the moment he entered with another girl on his arm. Was Pan really _that_ jealous? She continued to examine the situation. Pan was blushing. Was Tarble blushing? He kept looking straight ahead from what Bra could see, but as he passed Pan, he turned his head slightly. She saw Pan smile widely and blush scarlet before looking straight ahead before her mother saw her. He must have smiled at her. Were they back together? Bra considered the thought. She liked the idea of them, though she worried her brother would cause problems. She simply could never picture Pan with Trunks and absolutely hated the fact that Pan gave up so much for him without thinking it through. She frowned. She could have just told Bra about the idea. She was positive she could have talked Pan out of it for sure.

As the line of bridesmaids and groomsmen continued down the aisle one couple at a time, Bra realized that things were moving along faster than she imagined. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. Trunks turned and gave her one last wink before heading through the doors and down the aisle with Asuna. Bra snickered. Asuna was bright red like her dress in the face, but Trunks was all smiles.

Asuna always had a crush on Trunks growing up. They even briefly dated in high school. Trunks was just far too busy for her to ever really come out of his shell enough to continue the relationship. He was also four years older than Asuna. Bra laughed inside knowing how awkward it must be for the two that hadn't really spoken since high school, let alone awkward for their respective partners in the audience. Asuna's husband was shooting daggers at Trunks through his jealous eyes from a row off to the side.

Finally, the moment arrived. The organ shook the entire church with an eloquent arrangement of the bridal march, slowing it down and making it fit for royalty. The sounds were beautiful and beckoned her forward without delay, but before the two church workers re-opened the door for them, Vegeta tugged her back. She looked at her father with desperate eyes. Panic was flooding over her, but excitement, too. She needed his support now more than ever. He rose his eyes up from the floor and met hers with tenderness. She felt tears threatening her expensive makeup job and hugged him.

"I love you, daddy…" Bra whispered in his ear.

Vegeta smirked shyly, but didn't answer.

"Don't let me fall!" Bra added with a sniff.

"Never." Vegeta answered.

She tightened her grip on his arm and held her breath. The doors opened and they walked out onto the marble floor. She could feel eyes on her in every direction. Her long gown pulled behind her slightly, revealing its full, cathedral-length. The veil danced over her shoulders and flowed beautifully, tantalizing her guests to continue ooing and ahhing even after she'd passed. Her beaded and sequined bodice suddenly felt tight on her chest as her breathing quickened.

"Remember your saiyan _pride_, Bra. Relax." She heard Vegeta whisper at her side.

She held her head high and began taking slower steps with her father. Her confidence instantly boosted. She smiled brilliantly for the cameras. Suddenly she realized she had yet to look at Goten. She'd been too nervous to think straight. What if she didn't look as beautiful as she hoped or he'd decided at the last minute not to go through with it and run for it? Fear coursed through her body. She had to look.

Ahead, Goten stood at the priest's side glowing with pride. His eyes met hers and she felt the people filling the church disappear. Even her father disappeared for the moment. The prying eyes, the judgmental stares of those who didn't agree with her white dress after having a child out of wedlock…they were all gone.

His dark, ebony eyes stared into her. This man owned her very soul. He took in a sharp breath and held it there, waiting for her to join him. A small frown formed on his lips. He was fighting back tears. She felt a light blush dance across her face as her blue eyes sparkled and welled with tears of her own.

This was it, she thought. She was finally going to marry Goten.

After Lace, after almost dying, after the horror they'd endured, it was happening at last. Each stride she took felt slower and slower until time itself stopped moving. Vegeta reached up with his free hand and placed it over Bra's. He squeezed it slightly and brought her back into reality. She was standing just in front of Goten. He looked down at her with love-filled eyes and waited patiently for Vegeta to give her hand to him.

She looked at her father anxiously and felt him struggling to release her. She smiled and felt the threatening tears pushing behind her eyes again. He looked pained. Vegeta shot a glance over to Goku, who beamed happily and waved like the lovable oaf that he was. Vegeta let out a small sigh and grumbled something about "Kakarott". He quickly gave her hand over to Goten and pouted slightly. Goten nodded in thanks, acknowledging his father-in-law's great decision to allow him the honor. Bulma, who was now standing beside Vegeta, pulled Bra in for a hug and took Vegeta's arm. The two headed back for their pew and joined the family where Bulma cried like a baby into her handkerchief.

The priest took a step forward and raised his arms for the congregation of people to be seated. The ceremony began. Bra only focused on Goten and tried to calm her nerves. His calm smile lit her up inside. He looked so handsome in his black tuxedo lined with a silver vest and tie. She wanted him to look different from his groomsmen and thought silver was the only color majestic enough for a saiyan groom. Goten joked in the weeks before the wedding that technically he would become a saiyan prince now, making Vegeta stomp off angrily at the time. Today however, he did look very convincing. He smelled like an expensive cologne only Trunks could have chosen. She took in the scent and felt intoxicated by him. Her heart fluttered away excitedly. She loved the man before her so deeply and so completely that their night together in that club that started it all seemed trivial. Even though they started their relationship out of pure lust, the love between them now was undeniable. She couldn't imagine her life without him.

When the priest announced that Goten could kiss the bride, she braced herself. Would he kiss her sweetly so the public could awe and ooh once more? Or would he passionately embrace and kiss her like he would in private? She felt nervous again. What if he embarrassed her in front of so many people? She calmed herself. Why did she care? No longer was she living with her boyfriend or fiancé, she was married. He was now her husband. There was no longer anything to be ashamed of, no matter what baggage they carried from their past.

He placed one hand on her waist. She felt her cheeks flush. He was coming in for a kiss. What was he going to do? She braced herself again and closed her eyes, ready for his lips to meet hers. However, suddenly she felt herself being swept off her feet, literally, and bent backwards. He kissed her theatrically but personally. It wasn't embarrassing like she thought it would be. This was exciting and new. He was making for fantastic wedding pictures! She couldn't contain her excitement and started giggling, kissing him back and hanging onto his neck. His strong arms held her idly in place without effort, but she still felt the need to cling to him and never let go.

When he brought her back up to for their grand exit, Chichi stood up and walked towards them before they could start. She handed Lace to Bra, who was smiling and bouncing up and down. Bra took her and placed her on her hip and began to walk out proudly with Goten. She didn't want to hide her daughter. Lace was perfection. There was nothing to be ashamed of. She was positive that at this moment in time, their family looked and felt more complete than ever before. Joy couldn't even begin to describe the feeling of happiness bursting from within her.

They gathered their wedding party together for pictures as the guests headed to the hotel down the street for the reception. She requested several poses, some silly, some serious. Vegeta even smiled for some of the photos until Goku stood next to him and began posing ridiculously and putting his arm around Vegeta's shoulders. Bulma and Chichi had difficulties drying their tears long enough for pictures, but smiled and played along regardless. Caulifla and Cabba constantly tried to calm Kole down long enough for a good photo, but Bra was fairly certain that he was screaming in every single one of them.

It was strange, Bra thought. Kole seemed like a normal baby. He was always upset or hungry or just plain grumpy. Lace on the other hand was quiet and composed. She never cried unless something seriously upset her. She was intelligent, already speaking small sentences and trying to walk. A year old seemed a little young for her great capacity to learn things, but they chalked it all up to her special powers. She smiled happily for pictures and often rested in Goku or Vegeta's arms for each pose, again pitting her grandfathers against each other for the right to hold her with glee.

At the reception, they sat at a long table with a fancy, red table cloth in front of the guests. The speeches began shortly after arriving. Asuna's speech was silly and touching. She recalled the many sleepovers and parties from high school, raising a glass in her sister's direction as well. Sakura looked positively mortified. Bra loved it. Trunks' speech was drunken and a little confusing, but Bra knew that he meant well. She couldn't help but laugh hysterically when he grabbed Goten around the shoulders and said, "I love you, man!" Goten surely didn't mind, but Trunks would regret it as soon as he saw the video.

When the music began for the first dance, Goten rose up excitedly and plucked Bra from her seat. He spun her onto the dance floor and twirled her around like a professional. She quickly realized that he'd been taking lessons. He'd already told her that he didn't want a boring wedding. Their relationship was far too abnormal for such things as mundane as slow dancing. He'd chosen a waltz that moved quickly and ramped up the crowd for some fun. Bra could barely keep up with the energy he seemed to be full of. After a while, he broke away from Bra with a kiss and turned to grab Chichi for a dance, who tried to run away. She knew all too well that her son was going to fling her about the dancefloor without letting up. In turn, Bra took Vegeta's hand and yanked him out as well.

Her strength seemed to surprise him just a bit. He blushed violently and went along with the dance. He refused to look her in the eye, but Bra was too excited to have her father participating to care if he enjoyed it or not. She spun around and laughed as he displayed his proper and cordial dancing manners. She wondered if he'd learned how to dance on planet Vegeta. He actually wasn't that bad.

Goten then surprised everyone further to Bra's enjoyment. He let Chichi return to her chair and turned to Bulma. She shook her head with a clear "no", but Goku pushed her forward and forced her onto the floor. Goten began dancing happily with her as he'd done with his mother. Vegeta noticed and scooted towards the pair with Bra in hand. When he reached the table area, Goku was jumping up and down, eager for his turn. He handed Bra off to him and though he was delighted, he had absolutely no idea how to dance.

Bra showed her new father-in-law the basic steps patiently. It was no use. After several minutes, Goku gave up on being formal and made up his own dance. The crowd went wild with laughter. Bra felt herself letting go of the built up stress she'd felt for a long time and laughing harder than she had in months. This new life as a Son was going to be amazing.

Soon enough the wedding party, and other guests, joined them on the floor. Goku beamed proudly at Bra and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up. He was high on happiness. He was on a steady path to complete redemption with his youngest son these days, so Bra knew she had to keep the good vibes going. This had to be one of those moments that Goten would always cherish having his father there for. She jumped up and hugged Goku around the neck tightly.

"Thank you for making this day so special for Goten…he loves you so much. I love you, too, dad!" Bra said happily.

"Thanks for that!" Goku answered a little awkwardly, hugging her back.

As the party continued, Bra noticed Tarble and Pan spending a lot of time together. She was happy to see it, but worried when she noticed Trunks glaring at them and drinking the bar dry. Marron seemed to be enjoying herself on her own, not that Bra cared, but Trunks continued hanging around the bar away from her. Not far away from them, Lace was happily sitting on Gohan's lap and playing with his glasses. A burning sense of rage filled Bra's stomach when she looked back to Marron. Strange, she thought, to think the woman who almost killed her daughter was also at her wedding.

Trying to forget the sudden need to punch someone, she turned back to her friends. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pan heading towards the side door and away from the party. Pan had something in her hand…was that a _cigarette_ _box?_ Bra instinctively jolted her head back towards her brother, but it was too late. He'd spotted Pan alone and was slamming down his drink. He tossed his glass to the bartender and darted straight for her.

Trying to remain positive, she started to dance again. Suddenly Goten was in her face, leaning forward and about to fall over. Had someone pushed him?

"You good?" She heard him ask, but he wasn't talking to her.

"_Whaaaat_ the hell…" Bra sighed loudly.

"Sorry, babe." Goten laughed while doing his best interpretation of "twerking" with some of her friends.

_Surprisingly, he was the best twerker there, which was both disturbing and hilarious._

"I'll be right back…" Bra said, distracted.

Goten paused and took an exasperated sigh. He laughed at some of the others trying to do a similar dance and took Bra's hand. He spun her around and caught her lightly before kissing her and causing the crowd to cheer.

"I'll go check it out, babe. Tarble practically knocked me over tryin to get outta here…You just keep this party going!"

Goten pumped his fist at the crowd of people and received a loud cheer in response. He sure knew how to keep a party going, Bra thought. He smelled like he was also hitting the bar, just not as badly as Trunks was. Regardless, he was so sexy in his tuxedo. She found herself biting her lip when he turned his back and trotted away.

"Damn…that _ass_…" Bra whispered to herself.

After a few minutes, Goten hadn't come back and she could feel conflicted ki levels coming from the balcony. She decided it was time to put an end to whatever was going on before people started to notice. Vegeta and Goku were already looking in that direction, not to mention the other family members that could sense the crazy energy spikes.

She marched towards the balcony like a charging bull and stepped outside, only to find her brother and uncle beating the living daylights out of each other in the sky just off of the balcony. Pan stood beside Goten, who simply seemed to be enjoying the fight.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" Bra felt herself screech with wide eyes, "Not at _my_ Goddamned wedding, _bitches!_"

She growled angrily and blasted into the sky, transforming in midair. She grabbed the two men by their shirts and smacked them together forcefully.

"This is _not_ your day! This is _my_ day! Who do you think you _are? _Trunks, stop hitting the damn bar! I don't know _what_ your problem is, but you are cut. Off. Do you understand me?"

Trunks blinked at her, too drunk to process what she was saying.

"And _you!_ You can't just go around beating up your nephew! What the hell, Tarble?"

Tarble shrugged as his eyes traveled back to Pan. He clearly had no interest in what Bra was saying and felt proud of his victorious fight.

"I don't want to see and more bullshit at my wedding. Do you guys understand me? I will _bury_ you if I see this shit again! Come on, Goten. We have dancing to do."

She slammed her brother and uncle onto the balcony with force, grabbing Goten by his tie and dragging him back inside.

"_Hey_…watch the nice clothes, yo!" He smirked, winking at his new wife.

"I'm so mad…ugh, I just want to _explode!_" Bra complained.

She stomped her foot on the ground and crossed her arms. She felt so unbelievably annoyed. Unaware of her obvious frustrations, Goten wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I could uh…help you with that."

"_What?"_ Bra groaned, truly having no idea what he meant.

"Well, you know…the exploding…releasing of frustrations…"

Goten backed away to glance down at her innocently and continued to flash his flirtatious smirk.

Bra paused and looked from side to side. The wedding could be considered a huge party success. The red and pink decorations created a flirty and fun vibe with the romantic dash of roses and dim candle light. She knew what Goten was offering _would_ help her relax. Her eyes slowly moved up to meet Goten's and without speaking, they both practically ran towards the edge of the party.

Occasionally a guest would stop one of them to say hello, but they made it out without anyone really noticing. Goten skipped forward to the end of the hallway and peered around the corner. He looked slowly to the left and then to the right, stretching his long legs out and exaggerating every move. Bra laughed at his theatrics. He was in a ridiculously good mood today. It had to be the booze, but perhaps she knew how to make it even better. She slinked forward and pulled him around the corner with both hands.

She slammed him against the hallway wall with force and looked into his eyes. She began kissing him violently. She could feel him smiling as she kissed him, so she bit down on his lip slightly and pulled away. She was serious about releasing her _all_ of her frustrations. Goten grumbled at her with anticipation.

"I think…I think I can get…a room…pretty quick…but you have to give me a minute." Goten said breathlessly as she moved to kiss his neck.

He moaned slightly, rolling his eyes back into his head when she pressed her body against his.

"We don't need a room."

Goten looked down at her, suddenly confused.

"Right _here?_" He exclaimed, not completely opposed but a little weary.

"_No_, silly…though that would be really hot…" Bra smirked and took in his intoxicating scent again.

"How about…for old times' sake…"

Bra motioned towards an obscure closet door. Goten laughed and shook his head.

"Nah, I have an even _better_ idea."

She glared at him and raised an eyebrow, but before she could question any further he scooped her up and ran towards the elevator. They both laughed uncontrollably as he ran. She watched his face light up with each laugh and felt as free as a bird. What was she _doing_ before she fell in love with this man? She couldn't even fathom life without him now. What a bland and hopeless existence.

He peered around another corner, again with the theatrics, and ran for the elevator at the end of the hall. Bra wondered if he'd actually gotten a room already for a situation like this, but she was quickly dissuaded when he dropped her in the corner of the elevator and looked around for a camera. When he found it, he took out his nicely folded handkerchief from his jacket pocket and tucked it around the edges.

"Now…" He began.

He pressed the button to close the doors and pulled the emergency stop knob. He placed his hands at her waist. Her breathing quickened as he stared into her eyes with nothing but desire. She felt her stomach filling with butterflies.

He pushed her back against the railing before picking her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. He was so tall that the average height of the railing would never fully support her at the height she needed to be in line with him, so he propped her up with one hand effortlessly. She took a moment to admire his large biceps by feeling them through his jacket arm. He smiled and leaned in closer to her.

"What were you saying…about old times' sake…?" Goten purred, pressing her exposed back against the cold, metal wall of the elevator. "Did you mean…like this?"

He traced the contour of her neck with his teeth and kissed her, teasing her. He sent shivers down her spine.

"Do you like it when I kiss you like that, baby?"

Bra felt her breathing quicken. With Lace being so small and so powerful, they'd had little time to be alone since her birth. They were afraid to let anyone babysit her for too long. Now, they had all the time in the world to be alone, or at least enough to make up for some lost time. She tightened her grip around his waist with her legs. He was still holding her up and pressing her hard enough against the wall to feel his impressive excitement through her thick, layered dress.

"Yes…" She whispered as he continued lightly sucking and biting at her neck.

They could feel their animalistic urges pulling them together like magnets. It could be the saiyan nature, she thought, but it could also simply be pure passion. She took her arms away from the railing and wrapped them around his neck. He pushed her even harder against the wall and began swimming with his hand through the mountains of ruffles in her dress, searching for a way inside.

He bit down on her neck, not enough to break the skin but enough to garner a small squeal out of her. She grabbed his hair and pulled on the back of his head to raise his chin just enough to kiss her. He located her lacey lingerie underneath her dress and took hold of one side as he began to kiss her with fury, wrestling his tongue with hers and moving rhythmically up and down. She could feel him grinding against her down below, rock hard and ready. She couldn't stand the buildup for much longer. He gripped her panties and tore them from her, ripping them in half and tossing them to the floor. Bra blushed and gigged.

"Goten! We haven't done the garter toss yet! You'll be up there in front of everyone!"

Goten smirked deviously at her.

"Well, it's a good thing that I'm your husband, then."

He unzipped his pants. She held her breath. He tore into her hastily. She knew that they didn't have much time before people started to notice that they were gone. He wasn't going to waste any time. She dug her nails into his back and moaned loudly, sending Goten into spiraling fits of passion.

She felt the wall giving way behind her as he continued his steady, desperate rhythm. The elevator wall was denting outwards. Goten noticed and tried to slow down, but Bra shook her head.

"Don't you dare slow down. _Pound_ me, baby…harder!"

Goten held on and kept going at his vicious pace.

"Bra, I'm gonna…"

"_Noooo_, not yet! Hold on!" Bra gasped.

"I don't think I can…" Goten pleaded.

Bra felt the buildup. She was climbing the ladder to a delicious release. If he stopped now, she'd be hot and bothered for the rest of the party. Goten seemed to sense what she needed and slammed into her, denting the metal wall with one hand. He again bit down on her, but harder this time, breaking her skin and mating with her as they'd done countless times before. The sensation sent her spiraling into a fit of shivers as her nails dug into his back through his jacket.

"_YES!_" Bra yelled, drawn out and shaky.

She held him there until he finished gloriously, releasing his pent up energy into her with no regard for anything else in the world.

"Holy…shit…" Goten panted.

He looked behind her and smiled victoriously. He was more than satisfied with breaking an elevator in the process of achieving his devious goal.

"Wow. Okay, mister. It better be that good again tonight. And tomorrow." Bra said as he gently let her down onto the floor.

"And forever?" Goten snickered.

Bra giggled and kissed his cheek as he tightened his pants back around his waist.

When they started the elevator again and the doors opened, an older couple was standing awkwardly in front of them. Goten cleared his throat and quickly stuffed Bra's panties that he'd only just picked up in his jacket pocket. Bra fixed her hair and walked out without shame. She laughed when they boarded the elevator and the man asked his elderly wife what happened where it was dented. Bra peered up at Goten, who blushed and shrugged.

"You should be ashamed of yourself…" Bra giggled, shoving Goten lightly.

"Yeah right! At least I'm still wearing underwear…"

Bra blushed and slapped his arm. It was true, she was definitely at a disadvantage now. But in a good way. She could only imagine what their honeymoon would entail. Hopefully, they could find more things to break. Cruising on the Brief family's private yacht for two weeks would be a perfect getaway for all of their secret desires.


	9. Chapter 9

Trunks sauntered around the living room lazily. His head was absolutely pounding. Luckily, Sunday meant no work for the very hungover saiyan.

He plopped down onto his leather sofa and leaned an elbow on the armrest. He closed his eyes and felt himself drifting between sleep and reality. It wasn't the most comfortable sofa, but he didn't want to go back to bed. He felt ashamed to be in the same room with Marron right now. He was disgusted with himself and tired of hurting her.

When Marron found out about the big fight with Tarble, she was so disappointed that she hadn't spoken a word to him since they left the wedding. He really wasn't sure quite how she felt about anything at this point. He wished she would just yell at him already.

He sank into the back of the large couch and rested his head backwards, staring up at the ceiling before closing his eyes again. Even with the headache pounding in the back of his skull, the many stresses in his life were at the forefront of his mind.

Could a mistake that he made when he was seventeen _really_ alter the course of his successful, adult life? He _never_ wanted what happened that night to matter. He'd never even told anyone besides Goten about how he lost his virginity, not even Marron. It was a stupid college party that he was dragged to against his will. What if Goten had kids out there without knowing about it? Now that he was wealthy, would they pop up out of the woodwork, too? Would he take responsibility or would he hide them like Trunks was doing? Suddenly he felt himself questioning everything he knew about his friend. It was a pleasant distraction from his own self-hate at the moment.

_Was his wealth the real reason Alaina ever sought him out?_

She waited so long to tell him that it seemed to be the only reason that made sense. If she'd only come to him sooner, he could have raised the kid to be a proper, trained saiyan that wasn't blowing up at random bullies in school. It would've eliminated the whole reason she did find him in the first place. _Stupid_ Alaina. She had no idea what she'd taken from Cody. A saiyan of royal blood was being raised by a human with no knowledge of saiyans even existing. Vegeta would be furious.

He felt himself heating up from the inside. Half of him wanted to simply take Cody away from her and show him everything he'd missed out on. It wouldn't be hard. Trunks had access to some of the best lawyers in the country. Bulma probably had access to even more around the globe.

Stop, he told himself. The moral, decent other half of his heart knew that Cody's mother loved him. Trunks of all people knew how hard it was to ask someone for help. If she didn't love her son, she would never have found a way to help him. She might not have even had him in the first place.

He exhaled a huge sigh and lowered his head, looking forward. He could sense Marron approaching him and felt anxious. Was she going to yell? Break up with him, maybe?

Marron walked down the darkened hallway and peeked around the corner. She smiled at him halfheartedly and walked into the open kitchen. She stood at the refrigerator and poured some orange juice into a glass. He knew what she was doing. This was a part of the game. His anxiety was only getting worse.

Finally she entered the living area and placed the glass of orange juice in front of him, motioning for him to drink it for his hangover. Trunks thanked her and sat up, not breaking eye contact.

"Trunks…we need to talk."

Trunks paused, frozen like a deer in headlights.

What could he possibly say to make her understand this situation? Even though he spent the whole morning thinking about what to say, there were no words. His head continued to pound and prevent him from thinking straight.

"Look, Mare…I'm not sure that I'm ready to tell you what I need to say. Besides, my head is killing me."

Marron didn't blink. She continued staring intensely into his eyes. She wasn't going to let this go. She'd reached her breaking point and he knew it.

"It's…it's not good." Trunks took another sip of the juice and shrugged, "You may not want to be with me anymore."

He felt a dark, brooding sense of betrayal sneaking in behind his conscious mind. He was tired of being the bad guy, but he was out of options. Things couldn't possibly get any worse. He'd lied to the one and only person he could always be honest with. He was sure that any psychologist could tell him how unhealthy it was to deal with his problems by having sex and then hiding in the shower to cry about it, not to mention his budding alcoholism. How could he even admit that to another person? It was terribly embarrassing and _weak_.

"Trunks, I'm here because you gave me a chance. You would have been within total sanity to never speak to me again. You could have easily told me to go back to America and never come back…but you didn't. You listened to me and let me tell you what happened when no one else would. You gave me a chance and loved me when there was nothing left for me in life. You rehabilitated me when I was screaming in my sleep and feeling like I wanted to die. I wouldn't abandon you when you need me the most. Whatever you have to say…I can handle it. Can _you?_"

Trunks stared at Marron. He felt a thick layer of cold, hard steel peeling away below the surface. She'd broken down a barrier he'd held strong since he found out about his son, but he still wasn't sure that he could divulge his secret just yet. How could he tell if this would throw her back into an emotional breakdown and restart her night terrors?

It was too risky.

"If you're worried about my mental state…I've been episode free for weeks now. You know that. The sleep walking…well, that may never go away. But the nightmares are gone. I am strong enough to handle anything you throw at me. I _love_ you, Trunks."

She literally read his mind. Was it time? He glanced over to the entryway where his wallet laid on top of a small table. If he only showed her the picture, would she know without having to say it out loud? He decided the only way to know was to try.

He rose up from the couch with some difficulty. He dragged his feet across the carpet and picked up the wallet nervously.

"Where are you going?" Marron asked, thinking he'd given up.

"I need to show you something." Trunks answered nervously.

His palms began to sweat and dread began to scream for him to stop. Marron watched him, waiting for some kind of explanation. He reached into the wallet and pulled out a folded up picture. He stared at it for a moment, feeling that stabbing guilt again. This poor child would never know his family if he didn't start being honest with everyone. It was his fault. It was _all_ his fault.

"This happened seven years ago at a stupid party. I didn't know until a few weeks ago, I swear. I would never have ignored this…now…I-I don't know what to do…" Trunks mumbled.

He held his breath and handed her the crumpled picture.

Marron took the photo with a trembling hand. She watched Trunks closely as he stood feeling naked to the whole truth. She was about to be tested. She was about to prove just how much she could forgive after her own treacherous betrayal last year.

She peered down slowly down at the picture. Her eyes widened, then squinted, then widened again. She examined the picture for what seemed like forever in silence. Trunks plopped down on the couch and cleared his throat in an attempt to get something out of her.

"Is this…a picture of you?"

Trunks shook his head.

"Is this a relative, then?"

"You could say that." Trunks whispered.

"Who _is_ this, Trunks? Just answer me."

Trunks felt the flood gates fly open when a dam inside of him holding everything together burst open for the world to see.

"He is my son."

His secret was no longer hidden. He felt a surprising weight lift and float away from his shoulders. He watched her surprised expression, waiting for some type of verbal response. Her face fell into a blank slate.

"_How?_" Marron asked.

Trunks began to tell Marron about that fateful night at a high school party gone college party. He told her about waking up in the morning dazed and confused. He told her that he tried to leave without waking the mystery girl, who he now knew was named Alaina, but she woke and seemed upset to see him go.

Cody's grand entrance into his life was next to be explained.

"Cody got in some trouble at school. I guess he was being bullied…some kid cornered him and took a swing…the kid was only ten, just being a dick for fun…Cody hit back. He beat the kid senseless. Cody put him in a coma and the kid's parents sued the hell out of Alaina. She has a good job, but she couldn't keep up with it all. She paid his medical bills, but the lawsuit kept growing bigger and bigger. She knew it would come back to me if she didn't do something else. He looks _just_ like me. She thought…someone might start asking questions and ruin my reputation. So I paid off her debts with those fuckin lawyers. I've paid for a lot of things for them, too…I just feel so bad. I had a kid and didn't even know about it for seven fuckin years…that's not who I am, Marron. You know that's _not_ who I am."

When the story was finished, he felt pleasantly hollow. The horrible weight of all the information he could possibly hold inside was completely gone. Marron however was pale and in shock. She didn't speak for a long time as she sat quietly, staring ahead. He began to worry. Finally, she opened her mouth and inhaled sharply.

"Can I meet him?"

Trunks' eyes widened. Her request seemed like the wrong response. Why would she want to meet his love child? He began to ask, but she cut him off.

"I _want_ to meet your son. He deserves the best in life. What you're telling me right now is that you want to be a man and take responsibility for your actions. You've got to get involved with your son's life. It's your duty. Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a dad. You need to be this little boy's dad before he loses his way. I will help!"

Trunks stared at Marron in disbelief. He remembered that she'd initially always wanted to become a teacher. This had to be her inner-educator speaking. On top of the encouragement, he felt relieved that she was so supportive. He reached out slowly and placed his hands on each of her arms.

"I…I love you. Thank you. I'm so sorry that I kept this from you…"

Marron reached up and caressed his face with a smile.

"When will you understand that I love you for all that you are? I'm not going to leave you. Not now, not ever. I owe you my life…the least you could do is trust that I can handle life's curve balls. This is a human problem. It's not saiyan, not alien…just human. We can do this together."

She held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers, flashing her giant diamond ring.

"I made a promise to you. I love you!"

Trunks grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace. He buried his face into her soft, blonde hair and squeezed. She kissed his cheek and rested her head against his lovingly.

"Wait. I almost forgot. Why the hell did you beat up Tarble at the wedding? Does he know?"

Trunks froze and began to stutter. Marron backed away and crossed her arms. Trunks quickly countered.

"It's not about Pan. Well it is, but not how you think!"

Marron's face grew impatient. He had to act fast before she got angry.

"Uh…uh…okay…she followed me one day and she saw everything…Alaina, Cody…She heard Cody call me dad."

Marron's expression held strong. He had to work faster.

"She threatened to tell you and my family if I didn't come clean. At the wedding, she sent me a text…I'll show you…she said she was going to do it at the wedding so that everyone would know what I was hiding."

Marron gasped.

"I wanted to stop her, but I was drunk. I was really drunk. I don't know what came over me but I snapped! Tarble came out and saw me yelling at Pan and just started wailing on me. I had to defend myself!"

She took a calming breath and relaxed a bit. He prayed that she believed him.

"I'm only going to say this once. I am willing to stand here and accept your child with open arms. I'll help you with whatever you need. However, when it comes to Pan…I can't accept that. I don't want her texting you. I'm not one hundred percent sure what happened between you two. I don't care what happened in the past. All I know is that by giving me this ring, you renounced all personal ties to that girl. Am I clear?"

Trunks felt as though he'd just been scolded by Bulma. Marron sure was toughening up.

"Yes, dear."

The next day, Trunks had already scheduled a meeting with Alaina. She was going to meet him at the park again, despite her feeling completely freaked out by his fight with Pan. He assured her that it would be private and nothing bad would come of it. Unfortunately, he forgot to mention Marron.

When they arrived, Marron got out of the car and followed him towards the blonde woman she figured was Cody's mother.

"Who the hell is this?" Alaina exclaimed dramatically as Trunks approached her.

Marron frowned and crossed her arms. Trunks quickly placed a hand on Marron's shoulder and smiled.

"This is my fiancée, Marron. Marron, this is Alaina."

Alaina squinted her eyes as she looked Marron over. Marron felt very uncomfortable, wondering if this woman perhaps played for the other team these days. Alaina's hazel eyes traveled back up Marron's dress until they met her eyes in return. She smiled, but Marron continued frowning.

"I forgot that you had such a beautiful lady keeping you company at home…"

She turned to the playground with a lingering stare in Marron's direction. Marron shivered and took a step closer to Trunks, who seemed completely oblivious to Alaina's advances.

"Cody! Come here!" Alaina shouted.

The little boy with platinum blonde hair came bounding towards them from the playground. His eyes were a very light hazel, but slanted and serious like Trunks' eyes. He wore a blue tshirt with an alligator on it and dawned some very expensive capsule corp boots. Marron recognized them and smiled. Trunks was already buying the little boy presents.

Cody threw himself into Trunks arms, making Trunks laugh and blush. He held him up at his side as Alaina began looking at her phone. She sighed dramatically, like she'd just gotten an email that was a huge inconvenience.

"Look, Trunks…I hate to do this to you…but a business trip just came up. I gotta go to this thing or I could lose my job. Could you keep him at your place? I'll call you and pick him up in two days."

Alaina shook her hair from her shoulder and blinked her big eyes at Trunks. Marron could tell that this was planned all along on her part.

"I guess…next time just let me know in advance…" He looked at his little son and smiled, "We'll play video games and stuff!"

Cody's adorable face lit up. He peered around Trunks and pointed at Marron.

"Who's this lady?"

Marron laughed. She stood in front of them and held out a hand.

"I'm Marron. I'm your dad's fiancée. Nice to meet you, Cody!"

The little boy examined her hand thoughtfully before shaking it. Marron knew instantly that this was a saiyan child. His strong handshake took her by surprise. He sure had a lot to learn about hiding his strength already.

That night, Trunks and Marron took Cody to their penthouse. He couldn't stop smiling as he looked around at the fancy, modern furniture and expensive computers and televisions. He jumped onto the couch and buried himself in a throw blanket. Trunks turned on a movie while he and Marron prepared dinner. It seemed surreal that they now had a little family unit, but Trunks continued to remind himself that this was only for two days.

After the movie and dinner, Trunks tucked Cody into bed in Marron's old room and retreated to his own. After a few hours, Trunks' phone rang and startled them from sleep. He groaned and grumbled, ready to silence the call without looking, but something told him to look at the screen. He felt a strange feeling coming over him as he turned the phone to his squinted, strained eyes. When he saw the number, he knew something happened.

"Hello?"

"Yes, this is the West City police department. Is this Trunks Brief?"

"Yes, sir."

Trunks sat up and slowly set his feet on the floor next to his bed.

Marron rolled over and watched him through tired eyes. The dim moonlight coming through the curtains illuminated his face just enough for her to see fear written all over it. He rose and stood by the window.

"We are going to need you to come down to the hospital, sir. There's been an accident."

"_What? W-What happened?"_ Trunks panicked.

Marron shot up and sat on the edge of their bed anxiously.

"I am not authorized to explain the situation further. Please come down and you'll be informed of what's happened. Thank you, sir."

Trunks continued to hold the phone to his ear after the man hung up. Marron rolled over slowly and placed a hand on his arm. He'd turned pale white and filled with fear. What could have possibly happened?

"We have to go. _Now_."


	10. Chapter 10

Tarble spun slowly back and forth on a kitchen barstool with a joyous, absent smile on his face. His cheeks were slightly flushed red. His glazed-over eyes focused ahead on some unknown object. He took Bulma by surprise when she entered the kitchen from the hallway. Tarble heard her gasp quietly, but she sounded far away like she was in a tunnel.

On the top of the table, he flipped his phone over and over, banging it on the table lightly with each turn. He was hungry, but too excited to eat. His spoon had fallen into the cereal sitting in front of him and gotten lost by the time he remembered that it was there.

Still spinning on his barstool, he could feel Bulma's eyes on him. She crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side curiously. He knew what was coming.

"H-Hey Tarble?"

"Yes, Bulma?"

He blinked and locked his eyes on Bulma. She seemed concerned. He wondered if it was because he looked so much like Vegeta. He was sure that his brother probably never looked this happy.

"Well…what's going on with you? Did…Did something happen at the wedding? You don't come out of your room anymore…you stay out late…are you even still going to school?"

Tarble laughed and took a bite of cereal. He chewed and swallowed before answering her, dabbing his lips with a napkin.

"That I am, sister. I have _impeccable_ grades. You should know that."

Bulma rolled her eyes, "Okay…then where were you last night? I was worried when you didn't get home on a school night…"

Tarble smirked.

"Why, _Bulma_…are you beginning to view me as a _son?_ How sincerely _flattering!_"

Bulma grumbled and looked away.

"What? Of course I'm not! You're my brother-in-law…so of course I worry about you when you don't come home!"

It was obvious to Tarble that she cared for him deeply, but he still found it comical that she wouldn't set rules for him. If she was so concerned, all she needed to do was ask him to come home at a certain time. He would do it. He wouldn't even question her. But he knew that she couldn't bring herself to.

Tarble got the sense that Bulma simply enjoyed having a teenager around again. From what he gathered, Trunks couldn't move out fast enough when he graduated from high school. Bra on the other hand was sneaking out and doing God-only-knows-what at every opportunity from the time she _started_ high school. Wasn't that how she ended up with Goten, too? The third and favorite child of Vegeta, Cabba, was an entirely different beast. Tarble knew that Cabba arrived on Earth at the same age that Tarble was now, but his training with Vegeta was nonstop. Tarble found it strange that Vegeta favored Cabba over his own children, but he knew it was his saiyan pride that drove him. Cabba was stronger than Bra and Trunks combined. That meant more to Vegeta than blood. It was safe to assume that Bulma probably considered Tarble a do-over, but he simply couldn't put his own life on hold to appease her fantasies.

"I feel that I need to say this to you…but I don't intend to be impolite. I'm not a child, Bulma. I may look like one…even act it at times…but I am no fool." Tarble sighed, leaning back in the barstool casually.

Bulma shook her head and leaned forward on the countertop.

"Listen…I just think that you shouldn't be out _so_ late on school nights. I actually don't ask that much of you, ya know…I like having you living here, but I expect some level of transparency. Even if you _are_ around my age in your brain, you look and act like _such_ a typical seventeen-year-old boy regardless of what you think."

Tarble closed his eyes and inhaled, now holding his spoon loosely in his mouth and resting his hands flat on the table. What was she trying to do? _  
_  
"Listen. I appreciate your concern, sister. Truly, I do. I just don't understand what the issue is. Please don't worry about me. I intend to graduate from Earth school with honors. I'd like to join a university program that's worth looking into. It seems you can't get anything done on this planet without a…what's the particular word…ah…_degree?_ I'm sure to attain one provided my grades continue to be so epically mind-blowing for the human educators. In any case, I am still beyond prepared to achieve only the highest standards at my choice of educational facility." He rose from his chair and pushed it in, "Excuse me."

"Epically…mind-blowing…" Bulma repeated slowly, "That's gotta be Pan talking..."

Tarble picked up his bowl of soggy, uneaten cereal. He set it carefully in the sink and swiped his phone screen on. A message was waiting for him from her. He could hardly open it fast enough.

"Can't wait to see you today. Miss you already."

He wandered outside, reading the message over and over happily. He wanted to see her so badly that he could feel the yearning in his very bones. He eagerly began to text back, staring down at the phone screen with wide eyes.

"Can't wait to see you, either."

He hit send, but he felt a little silly. Couldn't he think of _anything_ more romantic to say?

Pan had only just started a new job at the local mall. She was constantly bombarding his phone with work-drama texts, but he didn't mind. He was learning a lot about human interaction through it.

Though he was curious about the mall, he didn't generally enjoy shopping. Besides, the clothing store that Pan worked at was very dark and scary looking…something about topics, but he couldn't remember the name. He never felt like he belonged in there.

Before he could decide which flight pattern to take to school that day, Pan responded for him to meet her at the mall after school without a clear time.

"Great." He mumbled to himself.

He could barely stand going through the day at school when she was just down the street from him. Besides, he had a particularly difficult time avoiding the girl he'd so quickly dropped for Pan when she returned. She was more persistent than ever, but her blonde ponytail bouncing above a crowd was a good warning sign for Tarble to hit the ground running at every turn.

Despite his butterflies and best efforts, he'd been able to see Pan only twice since their great revelation. He worried that seeing her in person would put them in an obviously unavoidable situation again, though he wasn't opposed to that. Being alone would surely trigger that desire, so he took her to a crowded movie premiere night and then to a fancy, very crowded restaurant. When they parted ways, a kiss on the cheek was all she seemed to need from him.

Each night since her return, Tarble developed a habit of traveling to the maple tree field he'd trained at with Pan. Laying in the grass to watch the stars was the most riveting sensation for him. It gave him time to think and relax in complete silence.

It was strange to go out there alone; this he knew. However, no matter how familiar with Earth life he became, watching the stars was nostalgic. Watching them shine against the dark, black sky reminded him of his home planet. Regardless, he still found himself feeling empty.

_How_ had he lived his whole life in space without a clue about this marvelous planet?

It seemed completely unfathomable to give up this perfectly human life now. Being a saiyan was always his reason for staying strong and in shape. His old society was the reason he became so intelligent. Now, being human was the biggest reward of all. Living life day to day in a state of relaxation with no worries of being attacked and no constant danger meant time to appreciate the life around him.

It was _everything_ he never knew he wanted.

Not only did he appreciate the security Earth offered, but having a real family gave him so much joy. There were times he could feel his heart bursting at the seams with love for the people around him. He never would have imagined this life with Vegeta, of _all_ people, and Vegeta's family only a few short years ago. It would have sounded insane back then.

After a long and boring day at school, Tarble rushed outside got onto his bike. He kicked the stand up and rushed to the mall. He saw a few other kids from his school on the way driving by in their fancy cars. He noticed a girl pointing and laughing from the passenger seat of a sports car.

_Was that Rin? _

He looked forward and ignored her. She would never have what he had with Pan, anyway. She was just jealous. At least, that's what he told himself.

He rode up to the large mall and entered the parking lot standing up on his pedals. He glided towards the bike rack and parked it inside of one of the metal slots. After locking it with a padlock, what Bulma made him promise he would do if she got him a bike, he started towards the mall entrance.

Inside, he wandered around the mall for a while before he finally found the familiar sign above a scary, dark store. He wished he knew it better so he could find her faster, but maybe he would get there with time.

He walked up to the entrance timidly. Two people came out with spiked mohawks and chains hanging from their pants stared at him as they walked by. He blushed. Surely his look didn't say "Hot Topic" at all.

"Tarble!"

To his delight, Pan came bounding out of the store and flung her arms around his neck. She jumped on him, causing him to fall backwards before catching himself. A girl walking by noticed and rolled her eyes.

Why were humans _so_ jealous?

"So where are we going tonight?" Pan asked sweetly, stepping down onto the ground again.

"Oh, I wanted to take you to that field we used to train in so we could stargaze together like old times." He answered, watching the jealous girl walk away.

"Oh? That sounds fun!" Pan chirped.

She began skipping away from him, beckoning him to follow. He snickered and started after her.

"Yes. At least I planned for it to be. However, Bulma sent a group text while I was riding over here. She is going to a formal affair with Vegeta tonight. I suppose that Goten, Bra, Trunks and Marron are going as well. It's Capsule Corp related. She's requested that we stay at her house and watch Lace."

Pan stopped skipping and turned around. She looked a little bummed out. He quickly countered.

"If you weren't aware, Lace really isn't a handful at all…She'll entertain herself most of the night until she goes to bed."

"Babysitting, huh? Why isn't my grandma doing it? My mom even…"

"I overheard Cabba telling Vegeta that he was late to training this morning because Kole had another seizure. It's getting quite bad. Chichi helps Caulifla out a lot. She's probably with them tonight. Caulifla is like a daughter to her, afterall."

"Ugh, I _know_. Well, that sucks for Kole anyway. He's such a cute little baby." Pan shrugged.

Tarble stopped walking and watched Pan skip ahead and look over the railing like an excited child. West City mall was four stories high, making it one of the largest malls in Japan, but Pan still knew every corner of it like the back of her hand. She fearlessly peered down at the people below and hung dangerously off of the safety rails. An elderly couple watched her in horror with their mouths hanging open. Ah, to be a saiyan, Tarble thought to himself. He happily joined her and leaned even further forward. Pan giggled and poked his shoulder.

"Say, have you ever wanted to just…fall? Like, obviously you catch yourself at the bottom…maybe even shoot back up to the top and confuse the shit out of everyone. But, have you ever wanted to fall from somewhere really high?" Pan asked seriously.

Tarble looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Well, I don't really enjoy coming here unless I'm with you."

Pan laughed, "No, not just here. I mean…fall from anywhere high up. I had this friend once that liked to look down from high places and say how much they wanted to fall off. Not to die, but to fly away from their problems. I just had to smile and pretend it was weird, but it's totally not weird. I wish we didn't have to hide who were are from the world. We really _could_ just fly away…or zoom around here instead of walking everywhere, you know?"

Tarble shrugged.

"I've always thought it strange that you don't divulge our secrets to the human world. I never had to hide my abilities growing up…wouldn't you all make considerable amounts of money from publicity? Do you not want money?"

Pan leaned her arms on the railing and placed her chin in her hands. She pondered the question for a few seconds.

"I dunno…It would never be the same, though…people would _never_ just accept it. Half of the world would call us a big hoax and the other half would want to experiment on us and steal our powers like they did to Lace. I bet they would find a way, too. After what happened last…"

Pan stopped herself. Tarble held his breath and stared ahead blankly, pretending he didn't hear her.

It was still so painful to remember.

The chains. Bra's screams. Trunks hanging there lifelessly. Gure, gone from existance in an instant.

When he really thought about it, Tarble was at least thankful that he didn't witness the horrors at Hitake's home. Pan was convinced she could have prevented the onslaught of violence singlehandedly had they arrived sooner. Tarble found that hard to believe considering how easily Vegeta was defeated, but he could never tell her that. On top of everything, it was all a blur that ultimately lead back to the night that Pan left. He simply refused to talk about it.

"I-I'm sorry…" Pan admitted, embarassed.

She looked to her right side at Tarble. He continued to stare ahead.

"I know. It's okay…"

He sighed. She was still staring at him. He could feel it. Unsure of what else to do in this situation, he reached an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side.

"Pan…It's in the past. I know it's hard to forget, but it's unhealthy for the mind to keep revisiting such…atrocious memories. We must move forward. We shouldn't forget, but…we should move forward."

Pan rested her forehead against his chest and snuggled up to him. Tarble again noticed a few girls walking by, eyeing the couple and judging. He frowned and stood up straight, gently running his fingers along her back while shooting his own annoyed glance at the girls. Pan noticed and giggled at him again.

"So…what happened with that girl at your school? Did she just…disappear or something?"

Tarble laughed and shook his head.

"She most definitely did not disappear. She's...well, she doesn't understand who you are or why I'm interested in seeing you, but that in itself is puzzling to say the least. I never displayed any affection towards her yet she continued to assume that I was interested. I saw her after school today. She was laughing at my bike from a fancy car. Simply trivial, I say."

Pan perked up with curiosity.

"Did you take her out on a date or something?"

Tarble shrugged.

"I asked her to accompany me to a dance once because I thought I had to. It was fun, but she was all over me and I was very uncomfortable. It was quite unpleasant."

Pan laughed and crossed her arms at him.

"You asked her as your _date_, dummy. She thought you _liked_ her! Boys only ask girls to a dance if they _like_ the girl…"

Tarble looked honestly surprised.

"I thought it was just an event that required a companion. I didn't mean it in the way that you're insinuating…I swear to it."

Pan rolled her eyes at him and grabbed his arm, pulling him along. The couple started exploring the mall. Tarble was dragged into store after store, but not to buy anything. Pan would just look around, sometimes walk around without stopping, and then leave. Finally, she pulled him into a store call Spencer's where she swore she needed to buy something specific.

"I love this place. Isn't it _sick?"_ Pan smiled excitedly.

"_Sick?_ Um…I'm not sure how that' s possible…but this _is_ a strange store. This is just as strange as the creepy one that you work in." Tarble said, looking around at the crazy hats and spikey belts.

"Just don't go to the back of the store. It's…_yeah_…" Pan warned.

Tarble peered to the back and felt an urge to check it out. He decided to sneak to the back as soon as Pan became distracted by a lighted box containing several large earrings. He briefly wondered why the earrings looked so large when the ones that Pan wore were much smaller. _Humans_, he thought.

As he traveled further back into the dimly lit store, he noticed that the items were becoming more and more explicit. When he stepped into an area almost completely colored in pink and red, he realized what Pan was referring to. He looked at the items closely. Never had he seen such objects for the activities clearly described. He felt himself blushing but he couldn't stop looking. How on Earth did this become such a public thing that someone could purchase objects in a store to assist? He felt his stomach pull into knots when he felt Pan approaching.

"Tarble! Oh, God…ya found 'em. We should go before I decide to get another piercing…those gauges are so friggin cool!" Pan groaned, touching her ear and playing with her earring.

"Is this…this is just readily available for purchase?" His eyes widened as his gaze landed on a particularly scant outfit with black leather and red trim.

"…Yeah? Where did you _think_ you could buy it? There isn't a specialty shop for miles."

"_Specialty shop?"_ Tarble gasped.

"Yeah, the kind that only sell this stuff and nothing else."

"_Okay_…let's go. I'm…I just…I can't…"

Tarble's face flushed bright red as he marched towards the exit. Pan laughed at him and followed happily. They walked outside where Tarble planned to unlock his bike from the rack.

"Can I ride with you?" Pan asked.

"How?" He answered, "I thought I'd just put it back in its capsule and we could fly…"

"No! Watch this!"

Tarble got on his bike, unaware of what she intented to do. She hopped onto his back and put both feet on either side, resting them on something.

"Pan, are you hovering?" Tarble panicked.

"No! I'm on your pegs…" She answered with a laugh.

"Pegs? What is that?" Tarble asked, turning around and trying to look.

"It's the bars down here by your back wheel. They're for tricks, but also for standing on. Let's go!"

Tarble started pedaling. He felt the resistance of her weight on the bike, but it was easy to push through it. Eventually they were sailing along on the sidewalk. He felt Pan's arms wrap around his waist to steady herself and felt her breath on his ear. His familiar stomach-dwelling butterflies began to act up so badly that was grateful to see the Brief house on the horizon.

_Keep it together, Tarble._

When they reached the house and trotted inside, Bulma was standing in the foyer checking her makeup in the large, hanging mirror. Vegeta was walking around the living room with Lace, talking about how much she should strive for greatness when they start training. His incoherent muttering brought laughter up in both Tarble and Pan, but Bulma shot them a warning glance to keep quiet. Ever since Lace was born, Vegeta had gone from angry grump to proud grandfather. Bulma wanted to keep him that way for as long as possible.

"Alright, kids…we'll be out late…maybe one or two in the morning. Lace should be in bed in an hour. Other than that, just don't burn the house down." Bulma sighed.

"Hour!" Lace called out happily.

Vegeta smiled proudly and nodded at Lace for saying a new word.

"We're probably just going to watch a film. Perhaps we'll play one of those game things, too." Tarble shrugged, approaching his brother.

"Xbox, Tarble. It's called Xbox." Pan laughed, plopping down on the couch.

"Well whatever you do, make sure that you take care of her. You better not screw this up, Tarble!" Vegeta growled.

He joined Bulma at the door and scowled. Bulma waved with a smile and stepped outside. With that, they left Tarble and Pan alone.

"So what are we gonna do with you for an hour?" Pan asked happily as the front door shut.

"She enjoys building things with the square toys." Tarble suggested.

"Blocks?" Pan laughed.

"Yes! That's the word. What a strange word…"

Pan smacked her forehead.

To their surprise, Lace easily fell asleep on the floor near the tv after only about thirty minutes. Tarble carefully scooped her up and headed upstairs to Lace's own, personal bedroom. Pan followed curiously and marveled when he opened the door to a room that Bulma had decorated especially for Lace. It was purple and pink with a purple sky painted above and little stars and planets scattered throughout. Tarble noticed Pan admiring the sights and smirked.

"You know, this is more similar to what the sky looks like on other planets." He whispered.

They placed Lace into her crib and slowly exited the room, closing the door quietly behind them. They tip toed down the stairs and into the foyer, where Tarble turned on the baby monitor and set it down on a decorative table beside the couch. When they stepped down into the living room, Pan tripped over the foyer step and landed flayed out across the top part of the sofa.

"Goddammit! I've _always_ done that! Ever since I was a little kid that damn step-down into the living room from the stupid foyer always tripped me!"

Tarble laughed and sat down on the same couch. He patted the seat beside him for her to join him.

"What do you call it? You're a _klutz_."

Pan hopped over the back of the couch and landed beside him.

"Yeah, but I totally admit it, so that makes it okay. So what are we watching now that kiddo is in bed?"

Tarble turned on a movie called The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and settled into his spot on the couch. The violent and action-packed movie went on for a while and held both of their interests. Inevitably though, it soon reached its first sex scene.

"Oh…" Tarble gasped, "Oh, _my_."

Pan giggled and glanced over at Tarble. He could feel her eyes burning into the side of his head. He sighed. She was so obvious sometimes. He decided to play innocent.

"So um…What are you thinking about right now, Pan?"

_Dammit,_ Tarble thought. _What kind of stupid question was that at a time like this?_

"Uh, I don't know…nothing. What are _you_ thinking about?" Pan muttered back quickly.

He turned his face towards her and smiled.

"Well, you actually."

Pan gasped. A little smile formed on her red face.

"Why? I'm sitting right here…" Pan whispered.

"Pan…I've been curious about something. May I ask how much your parents taught you about saiyan culture?"

He knew she would find the question random, especially after his initial blunder, but he truly wanted to know.

Pan returned to watching the movie and shrugged.

"Not that much, really. My grandpa Goku isn't exactly the best for explaining things…he was sent to Earth as a little kid. I guess when he got out of his weird little round ship thing he hit his head. He doesn't remember anything about planet Vegeta or saiyans in general."

Tarble gasped and shook his head slowly.

"Well, that's a real shame. I didn't realize that Kakarott was so ill informed…I only asked because I keep wondering about something in particular."

"What?" Pan asked, folding her legs up on the couch underneath her.

"It's just…watching this movie…the things we saw at the store today…"

Pan's eyes grew large, but Tarble kept talking.

"I hear humans refer to mating as 'making love'. I suppose I don't understand that term and I'm too embarrassed to ask Bulma about it."

"_What_ do you _MEAN?"_ Pan gasped, completely mortified.

"It's just that making love is a strange way to put it. I always thought that it was for child bearing purposes only…but…even in this movie…they are doing things that aren't…that can't…"

Tarble stopped himself and felt a bit confused. He wasn't sure _what_ he was trying to ask exactly. Pan seemed clueless, anyway. Why should he keep pushing the question?

"Well, what the hell do you mean by _mating? _That sounds totally gross…" Pan grumbled, sweating and looking at the ceiling.

"It's not gross at all. It's a special, coveted saiyan custom."

He turned away from the screen and stared at Pan. She was still looking away from him and biting her lip like crazy. He smiled and took a strand of her blue highlights in his hand.

"I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable…but saiyans aren't like humans, Pan. We don't date. We don't look around at our options, nor do we mate for fun. Saiyan mating is far more serious than what you know as human marriage. Basically, when a saiyan is ready to mate with another saiyan, or person, or whomever, they bite their partner in the neck. It's like…an animal instinct, but it only happens with your true mate. Saiyans don't often find that, either. Most go their entire lives without experiencing the mating bite…"

Pan's mouth dropped open in disbelief. She slowly turned her head towards him.

"That's _super_ weird, bro." Pan gasped.

"Pan, I'm trying my best to understand and practice your culture, but please also understand how terribly difficult it is for me. Your music, your schooling, your clothing…it's all so different, yet I've tried my best to adapt."

He popped his polo shirt's collar in good humor, trying to lighten the mood. Pan laughed and punched him lightly in the arm, blushing uncontrollably. Tarble got serious again rather quickly.

"But…I've been curious about…things…"

Pan scooted closer to him.

"Well…didn't you…mate…with your wife?"

Tarble took in a sharp breath. He should've known she'd ask that. He blushed and felt awkwardly uncomfortable.

"N-No. We weren't…intimate that way."

"You weren't intimate with your _wife?_"

Tarbled sighed.

"We were two different species. We _kissed_, yes, but that was the extent and it was never like they are doing in this movie. I don't think saiyan bonding occurs with members of species that are so physically different that they can't reproduce. Maybe I'm wrong, but I suppose that's what I always told myself."

Silence filled the space between them. He watched Pan processing his words in her head. He decided to clarify a bit further for her.

"I've um…never _been_ intimate…except for one time…" He whispered.

Pan looked up at him quickly.

"Only with you…in this very spot…" He continued, trailing off.

Pan edged closer to him. His eyes were stabbing into her with fire-fueled intensity. Why couldn't he look away like a normal guy? He was so confident all of a sudden. He felt his chest tighten and his stomach tie itself into a thousand knots. He couldn't miss this opportunity.

"Could I just…try something?" Tarble asked, barely breathing.

"Like what?" Pan asked quietly.

He placed a hand gently on her cheek and parted his lips slowly. Pan rose one hand and placed it on his chest. His heart was beating so hard that it actually hurt. He leaned closer, begging for permission to kiss her with his eyes. He couldn't mess this up again. She gripped his shirt in her hand and held her breath.

_Should he ask permission?_

"I…I want to know what it feels like..." Tarble whispered, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers.

"Me, too..." Pan whispered back.

Tarble looked down at her and pulled away slightly. They stared into each other's eyes, both too afraid to move. He felt his senses overloading. He felt her thigh press against his. They were like two magnets moving in slow motion. The pull was excruciatingly electric.

"May I…" Tarble said almost too quietly to hear.

Pan licked her lips. She suddenly flung her arms around his neck and pulled him into a fiery, long-overdue kiss. He gasped and grabbed her sides for balance. The passion enveloped them into a volcano ready to explode.

He felt an electric current run between them and shoot out of his toes like nothing he's ever felt in his life. Her touch ignited him and sent him off into the distant planets that he'd spoke so fondly of earlier.

As the heat between them rose, Tarble felt himself getting sweaty. He continuously wiped the sweat away from his forehead, afraid to sweat on Pan. She took noticed and smirked.

"A-Are you hot?" She asked between kisses.

"Yes, I'm sorry." He answered breathlessly.

"Let's fix that…"

Pan quickly grabbed his shirt in both hands and ripped it down the front into two pieces. His impressive, chiseled yet lean body glistened with sweat in the darkness. He gasped. She just _had_ to touch his abs, didn't she? She ran one finger down his chest and he felt a little chill tickle his back. The excitement was intoxicating.

She was panting loudly now, equally sweaty and getting more rhythmic with her movements. He pushed her backwards and carelessly fumbled to pull his hands out from behind her. He took the neck of her shirt in his palms and inhaled. He ripped her black t-shirt down the middle and let it fall to the sides, revealing her bountiful chest and red bra.

"Wow…" He gasped, stunned.

Pan eagerly took his hair in her fingers and pulled him back on top of her. They kissed for what seemed like forever, too nervous or too inexperienced to push forward. His mind began swirling with ideas, but mostly just ideas from the movie that was still playing in the background.

Still locked at the lips with her, he picked her up and swung her legs around his waist. He began walking towards the staircase, tripping over the ledge but not dropping her. She felt him step up into the foyer and grab the baby monitor before ascending the steps.

She weighed practically nothing to her, but by the time he reached the top of the stairs, he was going crazy with lust. He kissed her neck and slammed her into the wall as he tripped on the edge of the top step. She groaned loudly, but he didn't believe it was out of pain.

The couple continued wobbling down the hallway clumsily, kissing like they would die without it. He couldn't feel anything but a bursting passion from the pit of his stomach. It seemed to be swallowing him up, making both his fingers and his toes numb. His face felt red hot. He was on a raging roller coaster and nothing could slow him down.

He burst through his bedroom door and pushed Pan onto his black and blue comforter. He fell on top of her and kissed her with passionate force. They rolled back and forth occasionally, taking turns being on top as they continued to kiss without slowing. She clung to him, digging her nails into his back and tracing his neck with her teeth as she kissed and licked her way along his muscles.

"Mmm…" Tarble moaned, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling it away from her bare shoulder before kissing her there.

"More…" Pan whispered, "Let's…let's do more…"

He nodded and reached down. Without leaving her lips, he fumbled to unzip her zipper. He felt her soft skin beneath his hands and wanted to tear her jeans off like he'd torn her shirt. Instead, he began kissing down her neck. Then her chest. Then her stomach. Finally he reached her jeans and peeled them from her legs like paper.

Her underwear were the same red as her bra. They were decorated with little black details. He could see the outline of a part of her he'd never imagined before and froze up a little.

"Oh…uh…They look like the ones in that store…" Tarble mumbled.

"That's because I bought them there…" Pan responded breathlessly.

"Well then…I suppose that means you were expecting something tonight?"

Pan turned beet red.

"N-no…I just…uh…"

Tarble returned to his original spot on the bed and began kissing her again. He started fumbling around with her bra clasp soon after. Pan responded by using her feet to push his khaki pants down and off. He smiled as she struggled to get them past a certain obstacle. It was quite obvious that he couldn't handle waiting much longer.

"_Wow_…" Pan gasped, looking down.

"Hey, eyes up here. I wasn't allowed to admire your undergarments for very long, either!"

"That is _no_ undergarment giving me trouble down there. Wait…_undergarment?_ Who says that?" Pan laughed.

"There!"

Tarble finally managed to unclasp her bra. She seemed embarrassed, but relaxed and took a deep breath. She shrugged her shoulders slightly, allowing the bra to tumble down her arms. She tossed it to the side.

"Oh, God…" Tarble gasped.

She sat straight up on top of him now. He was naked, she only retained her little red thong. He didn't know what to do now. They only stared at each other, panting and trembling.

"P-Pan…have you…done this before?" He asked nervously.

"What? Why?" She answered, a little peeved.

"I'm…nervous…"

"So am I." She grumbled, crossing her arms.

He reached up and touched her face with his hands gently.

"I just meant…H-How do you want to be?" He asked gently.

"I'm…not sure. Do you want to be on top? I think you're supposed to be on top…for the first…" Pan answered, relaxing again.

"Okay..."

Pan rolled off of him and laid on her back. She stared at him with starry eyes as he crawled on top of her. He let himself grind against her, but didn't take off her thong just yet. He smirked.

"Eager?" He asked dangerously.

"What?"

"It's…wet…Isn't that what it means?"

Pan blushed, "Y-Yeah…"

She felt him reach down with his fingers. He traced her skin slowly. When he reached his destination, he stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Pan asked nervously.

"I watched this program on my laptop the other day…"

"What _kind_ of program, exactly?"

"It was…"

"Porn?"

"Um…"

Pan laughed at Tarble.

"Did you see something you wanna try?"

"Well…I think I know what to do…" Tarble shrugged.

Pan closed her eyes and relaxed, giving him permission to explore.

Tarble inserted two fingers into her and moved them in and out slowly. He felt more intrigued than anything, but Pan began to squirm around and moan rather loudly. He smiled and kept going.

"Tarble…Tarble, please…just do it…do it already!" Pan begged.

"Um, okay…"

He stopped abruptly and pulled the sides of her thong down along her legs. He crawled back on top of her. He started to kiss her.

"Okay…I'm gonna do it…" He warned.

He aligned his hips with hers and parted her legs with his erection. As he continued kissing her, he started moving in an up and down motion, preparing her for what was coming. He felt her hips rise up to meet his eagerly. Finally, he went for it.

"Oh!" Pan gasped.

He was inside her. He was really doing it. He quivered for the first few seconds, experiencing the sensation for the first time. His mouth hung open. A small moan escaped from his lips before he started to move a little faster. Pan rolled her eyes back and wrapped her short legs around his muscular backside.

"You feel so good…" He whispered, "Can I go faster?"

"Y-yes…"

Tarble began to pump in and out of her even faster. He placed one hand on her breast and the other on the headboard for balance. Sweat drenched the both of them as he continued to tear into her.

A strange sensation began to appear as he watched her below him. Everything began to move in slow motion. He could only hear himself panting. He stared down at her and noticed that she was blurry all of a sudden. Everything was blurry.

_Everything but one place._

What was happening? He'd never experienced such ecstasy before. His mouth was watering. He sucked his teeth quickly and shook his head.

He felt himself dreading the moment to come. It was something he only dreamed of having. The moment was so deliciously close.

"I'm gonna…" Pan squealed.

_Gonna what?_

Tarble felt a strange pulsating feeling around him. He saw her eyes roll back in her head and marveled as her back arched towards him. Her legs were shaking. She called out his name. He didn't know what was happening.

Instantly she burst into flames. Her hair spiked and her eyes flew open and changed to a bright green.

"Fuck!" Pan growled, digging into his back.

Tarble gasped. He knew what was coming next. He could see it in her eyes.

He defensively transformed to prepare. She only waited another couple of second before leaning up and clamping on to his neck like a vampire.

"Ah, Pan!" Tarble shouted.

He grabbed her tighter and in turn, bit down on her neck with the force of a lifetime. She released him from her clenched jaw and called out his name. She dug her fingernails into his back, still convulsing and pressing tightly against him. He slammed into her with super saiyan strength, causing the headboard to bash against the wall loudly.

"I'm gonna…It's…gonna…" Tarble hollered.

"Yes! Fuck yeah, Tarble!" Pan answered.

With one final blow and a loud groan, he released inside of her. In that moment, he could feel everything. He held her still for a long while, burning into her and twitching.

Finally, he fell on top of her. They both transformed back to normal and laid beside each other panting heavily. They stared into each other's eyes longingly. Tarble's tail twisted around behind him before wrapping itself around one of her legs. She quivered.

"Wow…" Tarble whispered.

"…What?" Pan giggled playfully.

"Pan…I…I _love_ you."

Her eyes practically popped out of her head. He wanted to retract his words at first, but then he decided that he didn't. He really did love her. He'd loved her since before she left. He wanted her. He needed her. Now, he had her.

"Tarble…I…I…"

"You don't have to answer me right now. I apologize…that was sudden." Tarble smiled, shaking his head and gently hugging her.

His tail released her leg and began wagging around happily behind him. Pan watched it, completely in awe.

"That tail…it's so weird. Super weird to think that I was born with one, too. Shame that they cut it off."

Tarble shuddered and clenched his jaw, hiding his tail quickly behind him.

"I don't ever want that to happen to mine. I just stay inside on full moons and keep it hidden during the day like you taught me to..."

Pan laughed and nuzzled up to him. The quiet between them shattered when Lace began to cry from down the hall. Tarble rolled off the edge and searched around the floor for his shorts.

"Always something cutting us short, huh?" He asked.

"Hey, let me get her." Pan offered.

She hopped up and opened his dresser drawer. She found one of his polo shirts and put it on, revealing just enough at the bottom for him to want to run over and take her again. He heard her feet stomp down the hall quickly. Soon enough, she returned to the doorway.

"Hey."

Pan stood in the doorway with Lace on her hip. Lace was sniffling, but the bright, pink glow in her eyes was dimming slowly.

"She was just lonely. Isn't that right?" Pan asked playfully.

"Hugs!" Lace hollered before hurling her tiny arms around Pan's neck. Tarble laughed and sat up.

"I'm going to make her a bottle…" Pan sighed, "Maybe she's hungry."

"Let me. There's at least four different kind of milk in that refridgerator…Vegeta is so terribly picky. Just go to bed and I'll be back before you know it."

Pan handed Lace over to Tarble and agreed. She sauntered around the room, lingering at his desktop to stare at a silly picture of them together from before she left on his background. He'd switched it as soon as she gave her permission when she returned, but she wondered how often he must have looked at the picture while she was away.

She slid her pants on and fastened the button when she noticed a book on the shelf above his computer. It was old and tattered, like it had been through many years of abuse. She looked over her shoulder to check for Tarble, but she could hear him plopping down the stairs and talking to Lace. She reached forward, hesitating for a moment. Should she look inside? It could be personal. Curiosity overcame her thoughts quickly and she snatched the book up in her hands.

The cover was stained and peeling upwards. It had no title, but when she opened it, the name "Tarble" was written on the top left. She smiled at his proper, cursive handwriting. Her eyes skimmed across the browned pages and read the date on the top of the first page.

"January twenty-first…nineteen…seventy-three?" Pan whispered under her breath. It was so easy to forget how old Tarble actually was. Sometimes she thought of him as a vampire, like Edward Cullen from twilight. She brought her eyes to the first sentence. It was clear that he was young. He spoke of fields outside of his home and running through them with the other children at his school. He said he enjoyed working on the machinery and learning how to build and operate it. His grammar was impeccable, even at a young age.

She flipped through the pages and fell onto a more recent entry.

"I regret to inform you that Pan has left the country. The piece inside my heart that belongs to her aches and quivers in fear. Will she ever return again? I am beyond upset. I am angry, hurt, but most of all, saddened. I will wait for her return, but what more can I say? I am in love with a woman that loves another man. I am in love with a woman who loves my nephew. I am crazy to think that I could ever turn back time and relive the life that I've already wasted. I'm in despair."

Pan placed her fingers on the page as though she was reaching out to comfort him. She could see two tear stains on the page.

_What had she put this poor man through? _

All for _Trunks?_

She cringed and set his book back onto the shelf. She turned away and stared at the floor. What a disgrace, she thought. She wrapped her arms around her torso and felt a strong urge to cry. Her heart ached. It lurched forward and back against her chest. She loved _him_ now, not Trunks. But she couldn't say it back to him earlier. How could that be when her heart was completely and utterly devoted to him? A man who could forgive her for her immature mistakes and love her through the worst time of her life was a man that she could love forever.

_Right?_

She traced the contour of her lips softly and imagined his tender kiss. His kiss that was so sweet yet so passionate. The very thought of him made her entire body shiver and quake. Then there were the words that he spoke so sincerely. His grand declaration of love brought an exciting burst of joy to her soul. A small smile formed across her face.

Eager, she bounded down the stairs and joined Tarble in the living room. He was sitting on the leather couch with Lace, who was holding a banana and laughing. She stared at him with sad eyes.

"What's the matter?" Tarble asked sweetly while Lace poked his cheek and pouted for attention.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You're amazing, Tarble. I love you, too."

Tarble's mouth opened slightly. He set Lace on the floor and gave her a doll from on top of the coffee table. She flailed it around happily and scooted over to her blocks.

"Say that again." Tarble said quietly as he rose and stood motionless in front of her.

His face was serious, but the corner of his mouth was perked up slightly.

"I am completely and totally in love with you, Tarble. Forever." Pan responded breathlessly.

Tarble pounced over the couch and grabbed her. He picked her up and spun her around before kissing her and squeezing her tightly.

"I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to hear you say that. I love you, Pan. I love you so much."

Tarble's phone began to buzz. He set Pan down and reached into his back pocket without taking his eyes away from Pan's. She blushed wanted to cry tears of joy.

Tarble turned away, smiling from ear to ear.

"Hello?...What?...Vegeta, _slow_ _down_…Bulma's in _jail?_ What the hell?"

Pan's face fell. Tarble looked at his phone and then at Pan.

"He hung up on me. We have to meet him at the jail…he was really upset. It's safe to assume that something is very wrong, but he didn't say what exactly."

"Okay…let's go."

Pan rushed over and scooped up Lace from the floor. Tarble ran upstairs for a shirt and shoes. When he returned, he opened the door and held out a hand to Pan. She took it and blasted into the night sky hand-in-hand. Lace laughed gleefully as the cold air whipped through their hair. Pan held onto the moment and wished it would stay so easy. Tarble's hand was warm and sent shocks up her arm and straight into her heart. She never wanted to feel any other way, no matter how messed up the world around them became.


End file.
